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! 


THE 


MpZy - 

/t . 


O 1 L-DOEAD0 


OF 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


A FULL DESCRIPTION 


OF THE 


GREAT MINERAL RESOURCES OF WEST VIRGINIA, 


\£> 


THE KANAWHA VALLEY, 

lie' 0 


AND THE COUNTRY BETWEEN THE OHIO, 


THE HUGHES, AND THE 


KANAWHA R I V E R 




/A 


> ’ 


r ' Urn 


I HE i|*/ f,J I 

WU; * 


NEW-YORK: 


AMERICAN NEWS CO., Publishers’ Agents, 121 I/assau-street 


1866 . 













n 









60858 







9 






f 



THE 


OIL-DORADO 




OF 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


INTRODUCTION. 


At a time when so much capital is being invested 
in Petroleum speculations, accumulative testimony of 
the richness of the “ Oil Dorado of West Virginia ,” 
will, no doubt, prove interesting and instructive to a 
large number of persons who have already purchased 
oil lands or are desirous of so doing. 

In compiling this pamphlet we have made ourselves 
familiar with the reports of eminent geologists and 
others who have prospected this section of the country, 
and now lay before our readers a sufficient number of 
incontrovertible facts which all go to prove that the 
great oil region of West Virginia is one of inexhausti¬ 
ble wealth. 

RICHES OF WEST VIRGINIA AND THE KANAWHA 

VALLEY. 

West Virginia is destined to become one of the 
richest sections of this great country, for no other 
state of the Union presents a greater variety of sur¬ 
face than Virginia, from the mountains of the interior, 
and the rugged hills east ^nd west of them, to the 
rich alluviums of the rivers. Her hills and valleys are 
full of wealth, which only needs development to^ at¬ 
tract capitalists like a magnet, and her mineral re- 



9 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


sources of coal, petroleum, saline springs, and ores, 
are second to no other. The Kanawha Valley alone 
contains inexhaustible mineral resources, large beds 
of anthracite being found beyond the great valley, 
while an inexhaustible supply of coal exists on the 
Kanawha and its tributaries. A great variety of min¬ 
eral springs, sulphur, warm and chalybeate, are found 
in the valley district. Copious salt springs abound at 
. the Kanawha and in the southwestern counties, while, 
now, Petroleum has been discovered at hundreds of 
points in West Virginia between the celebrated oil 
wells in Pennsylvania and those of Cumberland in 
Kentucky. 

The deposit of bituminous, splint and cannel coal 
in this part of the (State is also truly astonishing. All 
the high hills are full of it, some of them containing 
half a dozen seams, varying from four to as high as 
fifteen feet in thickness. Passing the valuable coal 
mines of Mason County, and its reputed oil districts, 
we ascend the Great Kanawha to the first high range 
bordering on the Pocotalico. It is understood that this 
range, consisting of 3,000 or 4,000 acres, has 
recently been purchased by a Mr. H. P. Averill, for 
parties in New York city, and that it will be develop¬ 
ed at once, Prof. F. L.Vinton, of Columbia college, hav« 
ing been here for nearly three weeks, making a thor¬ 
ough examination of it for that purpose. This point 
is but thirty-eight miles up the Kanawha from the 
Ohio River, and is accessible by steamboats and barges 
at all seasons of the year. Mr. Alfred Edwards of 
New York has recently commenced to develope coal 
property on Cabin Creek, some twenty miles above 
Charleston, and eighty miles from the mouth of the 
Kanawha, and the Winefred Coal Company, on Field’s 
Creek, near by, are now over two hundred yards into 
the main hill. The fact is, that there are thousands 
upon thousands of acres of the very best coal lands in 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


3 


the valley of West Virginia, all of which must at some 
day come into the market, and that day will be when 
the Great Kanawha River is cleared of the shoals just 
above and just below Charleston, which now some¬ 
what obstruct navigation in that immediate vicinity. 

But coal is not the only mineral deposit in these 
mammoth hills. Large veins of iron ore are found in 
nearly all of them, and frequently a master vein is 
discovered of uncommon purity. Seams of fire clay 
as thick as four or five feet, are also met with, and in 
the matter of lining stoves and salt furnaces, where 
coal is burned, this article will soon begin to attract 
its proportion of attention. Great beds of chalk, lime 
and plaster are very common to these hills, and every 
now and then alum and sulphur springs, most highly 
impregnated, are being brought to light. Chaplain 
Gregg, of the Tth West Virginia Cavalry, a practical 
geologist, has collected over ten thousand mineral 
specimens in this valley and vicinity during the past 
five years, and from a cursory examination of them, so 
endless and wonderful in their variety, that one can¬ 
not contemplate the future of this State without wish¬ 
ing himself to occupy some useful if not conspicuous 
part in her early development. 


PETROLEUM IN WEST VIRGINIA. 

. ^ 

Petroleum has been known to exist in West Vir¬ 
ginia since 1859, when the oil region of the State be¬ 
gan to receive a large influx of speculators and opera¬ 
tors, and the lands immediately went up in price 
equal to what those lands on Oil Creek, Pa., were 
fetching. The rebellion, however, greatly retarded 
operations there, but since the subjugation of armed 
opposition to the government and the driving out of 
the guerrillas who infested that region, the boring of 


4 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


wells has recommenced, and there is every prospect 
that the enterprising men who are there engaged will 
be fully compensated by the abundant wealth they 
will realize, and thus- discovery and exploration will 
be stimulated, and the small band of pioneers who 
first began the development of those vast sources of 
treasure will ere long grow into a large community of 
wealthy operators. 

The priceless treasure is now being poured forth in 
undiminished quantity from the wells that have al¬ 
ready been bored, and these number few, compared 
with what we shall see or hear of in the course of the 
present year, as the further development of the un¬ 
bounded wealth that underlies the hills and valleys 
of that State, progresses. That development is, at 
present, in its infancy, but its growth will be rapid, 
and before the year 1866 rolls round, scores of adven¬ 
turesome speculators will count in tens of thousands 
and hundreds of thousands, and many others who now 
express their disgust at what they term “ the great 
Yankee humbug speculation ” will come to grief, and 
bemoan that they had not enterprise enough to secure 
some of this unctuous treasure. 


THE PETROLEUM BELTS OF OHIO AND WEST VIRGINIA. 

BY PROFESSOR W r M. F. ROBERTS. 

The whole of the State, called West Virginia, com¬ 
prehends, geologically, the upper, middle and lower 
carboniferous series of sandstones and shales, in which 
are interstratified coal—cannel and bituminous—lime¬ 
stone, fire clay, and iron ores, of various descriptions, 
generally rich in quality, and, in some places, abun¬ 
dant in quantity. In West Virginia in every county, 
in every township, and almost in every farm, coal ex¬ 
ists, above or below water level, and iron ores also. 






WEST VIRGINIA. 


5 


The formation is generally very regular, almost en¬ 
tirely undisturbed. Since its first deposition at least, 
there is no evidence in any place of trappean, or eject¬ 
ed rocks ; no violent action, or extraordinary upheaval 
evidences can be seen anywhere. The only locality 
approximating a disturbed condition of the strata is the 
so termed “ oil break,” which crosses the Ohio, near 
Newport, into Virgina, and thence extends, in a south¬ 
ern direction, to Horse Neck and Bull Creek, in Plea¬ 
sant County ; to Petroleum, in Wood; California, on 
Hughes’ River, and Burning Springs Run, on the 
Little Kanawha, in Wirt County. The same “ break” 
crosses the Big Kanawha, above Charleston ; the Gruy- 
andotte, and the Tug, and Louisa Fork of the Sandy, 
where it enters the State of Kentucky. This so called 
“ oil break” is a simple antechnal axis of the strata. 
The dip of the rocks and shales from the crown of this 
axis, on both sides of it, varies greatly in different 
localities. Where it crosses the Ohio River, for in¬ 
stance, it forms a gentle curve, shown by the cliff’s 
or ledges of sandstone in the hills both on the Ohio 
and the Virginia sides of the river. At “ Horse Neck” 
and on the head waters of “ Cow Creek” and “ Bull 
Creek,” this axis varies but little in form from its ap¬ 
pearance on the Ohio. In some places I observed the 
rocks pitched steep for a short distance, then flattened 
off again, and thus formed slight irregularities in in¬ 
clination, but nothing more than is commonly found in 
coal and other geological formations—nothing extraor¬ 
dinary or remarkable. 

At or near to Petroleum, a station on the Parkers¬ 
burg branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the 
rocks and shales, with accompanying coal strata, pitch 
at a much greater angle than at any other place on this 
line of anticlinal, but even here there is no evidence 
of any sudden violent force having been exerted at any 
particular time from the result of subterranean action, 


6 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


protrusions of trap, volcanic, or other similar agencies, 
notwithstanding the assertion of some who represent 
the finding of volcanic matter, such as cinders, scoria 
pumice, magnetic iron ore, &c. At one point, not far 
from the station, in a railroad cut, the rocks dip at an 
angle of some 70°, approaching nearly a vertical posi¬ 
tion, as they rise the hill; but even this dip is not a 
continuous one, for the same rocks, or at least the up¬ 
per portion of them, are found curving and flattening 
off further west, and soon partake of a horizontal posi¬ 
tion. On the eastern side of the axis the rocks have a 
more gentle dip, hut stronger than that exhibited at 
“ Hull Creek” and on the Ohio. In all these, so much 
talked of contortions and upheavals, attributed by 
some to Plutonic action, I could not see anything re¬ 
markably extraordinary or wonderfully strange, 
though it may appear strange to others that I could 
not detect this phenomena there. The truth is, such 
appearances are every day sights, common objects cre¬ 
ating no sensation in our anthracite coal fields of 
Pennsylvania, and the twisting and turnings, contor¬ 
tions and convulsions of the coal strata in Schuylkill, 
Lehigh, Luzerne, and other counties bordering on the 
anthracite formation of this State, are far more grand, 
far more extraordinary and wonderful, if you please, 
than anything of the kind known or existing in West 
Virginia, the so called “ oil break ” included. 

In the early history of coal mining in Pennsylvania, 
the outcroppings of the strata were first attacked with 
pick and shovel. Nature had marked out the place 
for the drifts by showing in the ravines and on the 
road sides some little dark washings from the veins. 
Where these did not appear it was supposed that no 
coal existed, and in numerous instances has it been 
the case, where one farm known to contain the black 
diamonds, because nature had developed them there, 
was said to be a coal tract, while an adjoining farm, 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


7 

less fortunate in being nature’s favorite in having its 
coal exposed, was denominated a barren concern, not¬ 
withstanding a rail fence only separated the pieces 
of land. 

Some such like ideas seem to creep into the minds 
of oil men in West Virginia. That the “ break” is the 
only place where Petroleum exists, and that none can 
be found outside, or on either side of the anticlinal 
line before described. Nature sometimes exhibits on 
the surface the indications of the treasure beneath. 
The uplifting of the strata along the line of the Vir¬ 
ginia anticlinal, gives an outlet for the gas which ac¬ 
companies the Petroleum through the crevices in the 
rocks and shales, which of course are more numerous 
and probably larger where this so called disturbance is 
seen, and hence oil springs, gas springs and burning 
springs are found along the line of this broken unlifted 
strata, and here and there on this anticlinal clusters 
of oil wells are located, many of them, in the begin¬ 
ning, when the veins were first struck, “ over flowed” 
or “ flowed” large quantities of oil, some of them are 
“ pumping” it by the hundred barrels daily. The an¬ 
ticlinal line is the line to locate upon—the “ break,” 
on both sides of which mother earth is barren of oil— 
so says the “ break” enthusiasts. But, methinks na¬ 
ture has not been selfish in her oleagenous gifts 
with us no more than she was in coal. The line fence 
was no barrier to the continuation of a coal vein from 
one farm to another in Pennsylvania, and this anticli¬ 
nal line in Virginia will be found to be the mere out¬ 
let or gas escape from reservoirs of oil outside of this 
so called break. When wells have been bored and the 
gas and oil springs penetrated, away off, from this line 
of demarkation, new outlets will be crealed, by which 
the gas will escape from its pent up position in the 
cracks and crevices, joints and cleavages in the strata 
beneath the surface, which will relieve, according to 


8 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


the number of them, the channels through which it 
now passes to find an outlet to the surface, through 
the openings formed by nature or those by man, made 
with the auger in boring for oil, on this line of anti¬ 
clinal, the line of attraction for “ oil men.” 

It is said that the sun crossing the line causes the 
equinoctial storm, but methinks there are other causes 
for the rain about that season of the year than that of 
the sun crossing an imaginary line. Other causes, 
too, will hereafter be found to account for the pres¬ 
ence of oil along the antecline than the mere fact of 
the existence of this anticlinal axis in West Virginia 
being the source and only place of supply of this oil— 
the so called “ oil break.” This inclination of the 
strata as seen at Petroleum continues in a southern 
direction to Hughes’ river, where, in the vicinity of 
California, the axis is well developed, but with less 
pitch of the roads. At Burning springs, a tributary 
of the Little Kanawha, still further south, the dip de¬ 
creases, and the antecline, instead of “ ridge” shape, 
shows a greatly more flattened appearance. In the 
valley of this run there were formerly two burning 
springs, from which it took its name, and here around 
and contiguous to the site of the springs, which are a 
mile apart, and designated by the name of “ upper” 
and “ lower” burning spring—the earth has been 
penetrated with the auger from a hundred to three 
or four hundred feet with circular holes four inches in 
diameter, and very many of them. Some of these 
wells were sunk about the time the revolt took place 
in the South, and were, in consequence of that un¬ 
happy event, abandoned by those who constructed 
them. Probably many of them died on the battle¬ 
field, some on this side and some on that, fighting 
against each other, and these holes are monuments 
left to show that once they toiled in harmony. Other 
wells are in active operation and yielding quantities of 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


9 


oil. Very few of them, however, are bored as deep as 
they should be. The surface oil is comparatively ex¬ 
hausted, and it becomes necessary in this locality at 
least to penetrate rocks that have not yet been touched 
with the drill. Boring is a legitimate business there, 
and mother earth must submit to be bored a little more 
yet, ere she will yield greater supplies of this much 
sought after article of absolute commercial necessity— 
Petroleum. 


THE OIL DISTRICT, 

.Taking Petroleum Station on the N. W. Virginia 
Bailway (the Parkersburg Branch of the Baltimore 
& Ohio B. B.,) as a centre, the oil regions of West 
Virginia as at present explored are each embraced 
within a circle, with a radius of about twenty miles, 
and within Wood, Pleasants, Bitchie and Wirt coun¬ 
ties. Petroleum Station is situate about 17 miles in 
a direct line from Parkersburg, although it is 23 miles 
by the Bailroad. This section abounds with a large 
number of creeks which empty into the Ohio, Little 
Kanawha and Hughes Bivers, and it is on the banks 
of these creeks or runs that the oil wells have been 
bored. The following is a list of them. Middle Is¬ 
land creek, McKinis Fork, Green’s run, French 
creek, McElroy run, Horse Neck, Cow, Calf and Bull 
creeks, Carpenter run, Ira run, Big run, Briscoe run 
and Lee creek, all of which are feeders of and empty 
into the Ohio river. Worthington creek, Taggart’s 
creek, Stilwell creek, Walker’s creek, State creek, 
Turtle run, Lee’s run, Creanis run, Bidge run, Stand¬ 
ing Stone creek, Tucker’s creek, Biffles run, Beedy 
creek, Bye run, Bridge run, Chesnut run, Sanderson’s 
run, Nettle run, Sulphur Spring creek, Burning 
Spring creek, Spring creek, East Fork, Little Fork, 
West Fork, Honey run, 1st and 2nd Two run, Katy’s 


10 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


run, Straight creek, Richard’s run, Ann run, Yellow 
creek and Big Root run are feeders of the Little Kan¬ 
awha river. Leisure run, Goose creek, Middle Is¬ 
land run and Flint run are feeders of the Hughes 
River between its junction with the Little Kanawha 
and where it branches off into two forks. Buffalo run, 
Addes run, Brushy Fork, Dotson’s run and Cabin 
creek empty into the North Fork Hughes river. Mc¬ 
Farland’s run, Dickinson’s run, Indian creek, Leather 
Bark creek, Grass creek and Spruce creek empty into 
the South Fork Hughes river. 

Throughout the district the geological features are 
remarkable. On the summit of the highest moun¬ 
tains as well as in the depths of the lowest valleys, 
distinct and marked traces of a most violent upheaval 
are distinguishable. The rocks are in some places 
almost vertical. 

It is generally believed that oil is confined to the 
break, as the upheaval in West Virginia is called, 
but whether such is the case, it is impossible to say ; 
but it is an established fact, that it can be found at 
any point along the line of the “ break ” where wells 
are bored to a proper depth. In many places along 
this line of upheaval, oil and gaseous compounds issue 
spontaneously from the earth, from fractured rocks, 
the beds of streams and mountain sides. The greatest 
number of fissures and crevices are found, where the 
most violent geological disturbance has taken place, 
and these fissures must of necessity be filled with the 
precious distillation where oil abounds. Rogers, the 
celebrated geologist in a report of his survey of Vir¬ 
ginia, 1839-40 states that the most abundant artesian 
salt wells, with their almost invariable concomitants, the 
liquid and gaseous hydro-carbons, were found situate 
upon, or nearly co-incident with, the artificial archings 
of the strata. 

It is not our intention to discuss the origin of Pe- 




WEST VIRGINIA. 


11 


troleum or to speculate upon the source from which 
the supply is derived in other localities, but we state 
incidentally that in West Virginia it is clearly furnish¬ 
ed by the carboniferous formations. 

This oil section being scattered over a considerable 
extent of territory, many persons from the east who 
visit it, see but little of it. They spend a few days 
there and see the operations on two or three of the 
creeks and report, on their return home, that they 
have traversed the whole of the Oil Region, whereas 
they have seen but a very small part of it. To make 
themselves thoroughly familiar with the vast resources 
of this region, they should spend weeks and visit the 
wells that have been and are being bored on the vari¬ 
ous creeks and runs that we have mentioned. At 
most seasons of the year the roads are tolerably good, 
considering the broken country through which they 
run. By thus extending their observation they will 
see -enough to convince them of the vast depositories 
of wealth which there lie hidden beneath the hills and 
valleys, in the reservoirs which nature has provided 
to receive these wonderful treasures to illuminate and 
lubricate the world. 

CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY.* 

The oil region of West Virginia is comparatively 
undeveloped. About the commencement of the war, a 
determined spirit of speculation began to manifest it¬ 
self. Speculators and operators swarmed into the 
country, and prices for lands went up to Oil Creek 
figures. A few successful borings were made at the 
Burning Springs, on the Little Kanawha, and on Oil 
Run, near the Northwestern Virginia Railroad, at Pe¬ 
troleum Station. The Rathbones, at Burning Springs, 


* From a letter of Mr. De Hass. 


12 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


Wirt county, struck a flowing well. w r hick yielded, pro¬ 
bably, one thousand barrels per day. Quite a number 
of wells were commenced ; but the war waxing warm¬ 
er, and the “ sword ” being “ mightier ” than the drill , 
the borers skedaddled, and guerrillas, by the way of 
divertissement between the acts of rapine and blood, 
“ raised the devil ” generally by forcing the carbu¬ 
reted hydrogen, which escapes’so freely at the Burning 
Springs as to give origin to the name ; and, opening 
the oil tanks upon the water, literally “ set the river 
on fire,” lighting up the dark valley with its deeply- 
wooded banks, as the burning fluid flowed luridly 
past ! These amusements lasted during the first sum¬ 
mer of the rebellion, but more active work being on 
hand for the marauding pyrotechnists, the scene shift¬ 
ed, and comparative peace once more reigned in the 
valley of the Little Kanawha and Hughes River. 

Adverturesome oil speculators, however, did not 
return. Wells abandoned at a moment’s notice, in a 
half finished state have continued to emit their gase¬ 
ous contents undisturbed, almost up to the present 
writing. Those wells which had penetrated the oil 
receptacles, and commenced yielding the oleagenous 
treasure, were not permitted to lie idle ; but as soon 
as the busliwackers vamosed , the owners returned, and, 
with little interruption, have continued to work them 
up to the present time. There being no longer ap¬ 
prehension of danger, the abandoned wells are now to 
be bored through, and the whole oil territory fully de¬ 
veloped. The high price of oil, with the continued 
failure of the Pennsylvania wells, have contributed to 
the renewal of operations in this region. That a vast 
field of wealth is opening up to enterprising capital¬ 
ists, there cannot be a reasonable doubt. Oil exists 
here in- really wonderful abundance. Parties now 
sink wells with almost the certainty of procuring oil 
as in other localities wells are sunk for water, in the 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


1 o 

lo 

fissures of rocks, in the sand and mud, from which it 
can be disengaged by slight manipulation, or stirring 
with a stick. It is found oozing from rocks, and be¬ 
neath the surface at variable depths from one to three 
hundred feet. I mention the latter as the extreme 
depth to which any -well has been sunk in this district. 
The ordinary depth of wells is from one hundred and 
twenty, or even less, to two hundred and fifty. In but 
few instances have wells been carried to a greater 
depth. What do these facts teach us ? That all the ' 
oil heretofore procured has been little more than the 
surface supply ! The true oil receptacles lie far deep¬ 
er, and he who drives, by force of steam, the chisel to 
a proper depth, will be abundantly rewarded for his 
industry and labor. 

PETROLEUM NO NEW DISCOVERY. 

The evidence of oil in Western Virginia is no new 
discovery. Jesse Hughes, a famous Indian hunter and 
borderer, from whom the Hughes River derives its 
name, had occasion, in more than one instance, to test 
the healing properties of oil found floating upon its 
waters. Certain it is, those who composed the next 
wave in the advancing tide of civilization—the rustic 
pioneer, who, by the force of his brawny arms let sun¬ 
light into the forest, reared his cabin and planted his 
crop of corn, knew the value of Petroleum, or “ rock,” 

“ bank,” and “ sand ” oil, as they variously called it. 

It grew into popular use, and no cabin was secure 
without a supply of “ rock ” and “ goose ile,” which 
medicaments were regarded as essential to the proper 
physical culture development of the rising generation. 
Oil grew into general use, and soon became an article 
of traffic. 

Of those who settled near the forks of Hughes 
River, at an early day, was George S. Lemon, from 


14 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


Bath County, Virginia. He was a tough lemon to 
squeeze, either for bears or pugilists, for he was a 
man of herculean frame and great vigor. Even now 
in his seventy-eighth year, and stricken with palsy, he 
shows what he was in bis better days. When Mr. 
Lemon first emigrated to Hughes River the business 
of gathering oil for traffic was little practiced ; but, 
trading to Parkersburg and Marietta, he found there 
was a ready market for it, and commenced collecting 
for sale abroad. Those who had heretofore gathered, 
did it for neigborhood traffic. The plan adopted by 
Lemon, as I have derived from himself and family, 
was, to commence about the 1st September, (when the 
streams were low, and the oil supposed to be nearer 
the surface,) and prosecute the work until about No¬ 
vember 1. 

THE DISTRICT AROUND PETROLEUM. 

About one and a half miles due north of Petroleum 
in Ritchie County, are the wells of a Wheeling com- 
pampany—fourteen in active operation. This com¬ 
pany, which had commenced operations near Wheel¬ 
ing some five or six years ago, in the distillation of 
hydro-carbon oil from bituminous shale, had their at¬ 
tention directed hitherward by the discovery of coal, 
which, it was believed would render a greater per 
centage of oil than that which the company were work¬ 
ing near Triadelphia, Ohio County, Virginia. About 
this period, the discovery of oil was made on the 
Alleghany, in Pennsylvania. A sagacious and prac¬ 
tical member of the firm at once concluded that oil 
could be obtained in the valley of the Little Kanawha 
by boring, as its existence in springs had been known 
for years. Accordingly he selected a site on a small 
stream called Oil Run, purchased an hundred or more 
acres, and leased a thousand more. Operations were 


i 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


15 


speedily commenced, and oil oh ! soon crowned their 
efforts. The experiment was a success, and other 
wells were speedily sunk. The “ fever,” as the greasy 
inspiration is popularly called, rapidly spread. Lands 
went up and wells went down with amazing 
haste. An " ancient and 'pitch like smell ” over¬ 
spread the country. Had the rebellion not then bro¬ 
ken out, who can tell but that the valley of the Kan- , 
awha may long ere this literally have overflowed with 
oil. The “ fever ” yielded under the excessive deple¬ 
tion inflicted by the sword. Speculators skedaddled, 
guerrillas swarmed around the Burning Springs, and, 
by way of amusement, applied the torch to the car¬ 
bureted hydrogen gas which escapes so freely at all 
these springs, and by its highly inflammable character 
has given name to the celebrated Burning Springs of 
Wirt County. Oil stock went down during the first 
three years of the war, if the rebellion did not; but 
guerrillas having tired of their work, and the world 
needing light and lubrication, operations in the oil 
region have again been resumed, and the spirit of 
boring has again become manifest. It may be proper 
here to remark that the wells near this place have not 
been materially interrupted during the war. Those 
in Wirt County have suffered the most, the destruc¬ 
tion having been general and indiscriminate. A new 
impetus has been given to the oil business by the dis¬ 
covery of oil in large quantities on Horse Neck and 
Bull Creek, about fifteen miles from this point forward 
the Ohio river. 


YIELD OF WELLS. 

I have already stated that the company operating 
here have fourteen wells yielding oil. They are all in 
the valley of Oil Ilun, and within a distance of one 
mile. They are all worked by a simple contrivance, 


16 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


driven by a single engine. The arrangement is cred¬ 
itable to the ingenuity of Mr. Hamlin, a member and 
chief manager of the company. The wells have a 
depth of from seventy-five to two hundred and thirty 
feet, thus showing that the oil is not confined to a hor¬ 
izontal receptacle, as commonly believed. 

The oil from all these wells, with the exception 
perhaps, of two or three, is a heavy, dark, green fluid, 
with a specific gravity of about forty degrees. The 
other wells yield a lighter oil. The former are finely 
adapted for lubricating purposes, the latter for illum¬ 
inating use ; but as the company have a contract with 
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company to take all 
their oil, the product of their several wells are run 
into a tank and subjected to a temperature sufficient 
to cause them freely to mix. They are brought to a 
specific gravity of about fifty degrees, and barrelled 
for shipment. 

The monthly yield from these wells is over two hun¬ 
dred barrels ; but every well might be made to yield 
five times as much as now produced, by sinking deep¬ 
er ! These wells have yielded over four hundred 
thousand barrels per annum for many years. 

THE PROCESS OF BORING. 

The process of boring is simple. A tall derrick is 
erected over the spot selected for boring. The der¬ 
rick supports the tackle, &c., for drilling. A small 
engine, with much of the machinery improvised on the 
spot, drives the descending chisel, &c. The drilling 
and paction is a simple contrivance. The drill is about 
two feet in length, with a blunt flattened end about 
twenty-five feet of iron shaft weighing over four hun¬ 
dred pounds. The whole is secured to a stout cable, 
which, passing over a windlass, is worked by the en¬ 
gine, and controlled by one hand, who is relieved in 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


17 


turn, tlie two acting alternately as engineer and assis¬ 
tant. 

I had forgotten to say that, in commencing opera¬ 
tions, an iron tube, in joints of about ten feet in length, 
is let down into the earth until it rests upon rock. 
The drill then goes to work, and as it descends into 
the varied stratification, the tube follows. The drill 
having been driven to its length—ten feet—is with¬ 
drawn, and a sand-pump let down to remove the accu¬ 
mulated debris at the bottom of the well. The force 
pump is a copper tube, about eight feet in length, its 
diameter slightly less than the well, and supplied at 
the lower end with a valve opening upward. It brings 
up the contents of the well very thoroughly, which 
are examined with much anxiety by parties interested. 

ROCK OIL, ITS GEOLOGICAL RELATION AND DISTRI¬ 
BUTION. 

BY PROP. E. B. ANDREWS, MARIETTA COLLEGE, OHIO. 

My investigations have been directed chiefly to the 
oil of the coal rocks, and I propose in this paper to 
give some of my results. 

The rocks of Western Virginia and South Western 
Ohio may be divided into three classes, those which 
are almost entirely horizontal, those which have a dip 
of from fifteen to forty feet in the mile, and thosa 
which are broken and dislocated by an uplift. The 
strata of the Ohio River at Parkersburg up the Little 
Kanawha to within a few miles of the great oil wells 
are very nearly horizontal and probably contain, few 
fissures except such as may have been produced by 
the drying and shrinking of the rocks. There is not 
to my knowledge a single productive well in that re¬ 
gion. although a large number of wells have been 
bored. The compact and broken clay shales and other 


18 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


strata rest upon the deep bituminous strata and furnish 
no spaces through which the oil vapor could rise. 
Probably no such vapor is formed. 

On the Great Kanawha River, at Pomeroy and 
vicinity on the Ohio River, in Athens, Morgan, Noble, 
Washington and other counties in Ohio, located on the 
coal measures, the rocks have more or less dip, and 
contain, as a probable result of the uplifting force, 
many fissures. These counties all furnish oil—Noble 
and Washington in considerable quantities. The salt 
wells on the Great Kanawha, at Pomeroy on the Ohio, 
on the Hocking and Muskingum Rivers and on Duck 
Creek, revealed more or less oil. But it is in re¬ 
gions where the strata have been the most disturbed 
and where the fissures are the most numerous, that 
the most oil is found. 

I have recently traced a most interesting line of 
uplift and dislocation from the eastern part of Wash¬ 
ington County, Ohio, to beyond the great oil wells 
on the Little Kanawha River. The direction of it is 
nearly north and south. It makes an angle of about 
40° with the general course of the Alleghany Moun¬ 
tains. 

As seen in Ohio it presents a well marked anticlinal 
axis but with the eastern slope more steep than the 
western. At the anticlinal line are gas and oil 
springs. Fifteen or twenty miles further south, near 
Petroleum, Ritchie Co., Va., the uplifting force has 
been greater, and the strata have been broken apart 
and now stand at an angle of about 50°. These strata 
contain seams of cannel and bituminous coal, and are 
altogether new to me. A few miles further south and 
on the line of this geological disturbance we find, near 
where the Hughes River crosses the uplift, many new 
<md interesting strata, which have been lifted up from 
Donsiderable depths. 

Between this point and the Little Kanawha River 




WEST VIRGINIA. 


19 


the anticlinal line is easily traced, the rocks inclining 
to the east and to the west at annules varying from 28 Q 
to 8°. The rocks are well exposed on the head of 
Standing Stone Creek, and at other points. 

COAL OIL IN WEST VIRGINIA. 

BY C. H. SHATTUCK, PARKERSBURGH, WEST VIRGINIA. 

With the oil excitement at its height in Pennsyl¬ 
vania, of course it was not long before the coal oil 
business of West Virginia began to teem with busy 
operations, and enterprising capitalists diligently en¬ 
gaged in collecting the rich stores of Petroleum which 
were discovered in her territory. The first operators 
in Virginia were J. T. Johnston & Co , from near Pitts¬ 
burg. These parties commenced their operations on 
Hughes river, Wirt county, in November, 1859. 
They bored a number of wells with varying success. 
Soon after Messrs. Hazlet & Co., of Wheeling, began 
to operate in the vicinity of Petroleum, (a small town 
and station named from the product of the region,) on 
a line.of the North-Western Virginia Railroad. These 
gentlemen were more successful than the parties last 
named : and this same vicinity has remained one of 
the most prolific portions of the oil regions of this 
State. We are at this time unable to give accurately 
the yearly yield of this region, yet we know that it has 
been and is still very great. 

In the spring of 1860, Mr. T. D. Karnes leased, 
from Mr. John V. Rathbone, an old well which, in 
former years, had been bored for salt purposes. This 
well was situated on Kanawha river, in Wirt county, 
eight miles above the town of Elizabeth, the county 
seat. In the hands of Mr. Karnes it proved very 
productive, yielding from fifteen hundred to two thous¬ 
and gallons daily. 


20 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


The oil now commanded a good price in the market, 
and it became manifest that this region (known as 
Burning Spring, from a gas spring in the neighbor¬ 
hood) was certain to reward the labors of operators. 
The attention of many was immediately turned to this 
district, and when, in December 1860, Mr. J. C. Bath- 
bone bored a well, and pumped from it daily from 
eight to ten thousand gallons of oil, the excitement be¬ 
came great. There were now three districts produ¬ 
cing abundant supplies of Petroleum in West Virginia. 
Men of all classes—mechanics, lawyers, laborers of 
all kinds—turned their feet in this direction, and soon 
became actively engaged in the business of procuring 
oil. All the land in the immediate vicinity of the 
working or producing wells, and much at a distance 
from them, was leased or purchased by capitalists ea¬ 
ger to embark in the business. Buildings in the 
neighborhood, which had rejoiced in the“name of hotel 
or inn, were speedily crowded to overflowing; quiet 
farm houses, hitherto humble and unpretending dwell¬ 
ings, were forced from a quiet obscurity to a bustling 
notoriety. The farms of J. C.and J. V. Rathbone 
soon became a city of huts. Nothing could be seen 
but great piles of barrels, derricks, scaffolds, and cis¬ 
terns ; nothing heard but the puff of the steam engine, 
and the click, click, of the drill. 

West Virginia now began to rejoice over her new¬ 
ly developed sources of wealth, and to look forward 
to a bright future. The “ peculiar institution ” of Vir¬ 
ginia had hitherto excluded many men from her lim¬ 
its. Indeed, so well understood had this fact become, 
that many of her best men, although not generally op¬ 
posed to it, regretted the domination of this power 
here. Yet all now indulged the hope that the day 
was dawning which should see, before its noon, the 
wooded hills and neglected valleys of West Virginia 
doffing their rugged garb, and putting on the robes of 






WEST VIRGINIA. 


21 


a thorough and expanded cultivation ; and, as prelim¬ 
inary to this, they hailed with a welcome the coming 
of those who, reared and trained in the practice of ac¬ 
tive and honorable industry, should give their la¬ 
bor and substance to the development of the resources 
of their State. But these hopes were of short duration. 
The active efforts of those who had moved to the new 
field of labor were only well begun when the hostile 
shots were fired upon Fort Sumpter. Thore were 
heroes sweating and delving in the oil regions as well 
as elsewhere. 

The promises of wealth which the oil regions had 
made, and which now seemed about to be realized, were 
forgotten. Princely fortunes lost their charms when 
an imperilled country called her sons to her defence, 
and now those who hut recently came to these locali¬ 
ties to pursue the avocations of peace, departed to 
practice the arts of war. 

Operations on any extensive scale were now imprac- 
tible ; and even if splendid results had not been im¬ 
possible on account of a scarcity of laborers, the mur¬ 
derous raids of guerrillas would have completed what 
the other began. A few who remained and endeavor¬ 
ed to perpetuate what had been so well commenced, 
labored on, not withstanding the new difficulties. Yet 
the predatory incursions of guerrilla bands made any 
large shipments of oil almost impossible. Neverthe- 
lass, despise all the obstacles ths interposed, and which 
were understood fully only by those who have been 
compelled to contend against them, there was produc¬ 
ed at the one point of Burning Spring alone, in the 
year 1861, four million gallons of oil. In the year 
1862, three millions two huudred thousand gallons 
were sent to market from this same point. The pro¬ 
duct of 1863 does not, probably, exceed two millions 
of gallons. 


22 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


When, however, it is remembered that this large 
amount of oil was produced in one section alone of 
not over one mile square, and under circumstances 
the most unfavorable to production, the reader may 
form some idea of what might be done under circum* 
stances that would deserve to be called auspicious. 

It must not be supposed that in estimating the oil 
interest of West Virginia, the small tract or point just 
named embraces the entire oil-producing district of 
the State. Explorations made for the discovery of oil 
in West Virginia, it must be remembered, had only be¬ 
gun three years since. The force of circumstances con¬ 
centrated the efforts of explorers in the territory 
around this district. Oil was first discovered here in 
abundant quantities. People naturally flocked to this 
point, and before curiosity and investigation had been 
able to exhaust the object of attraction here, and turn 
to search for new fields, the so-called secession of Vir¬ 
ginia, with all its baneful evils, fell like a blight upon 
the land. While the supply from this district was 
diminished to some extent, other regions, unexplored, 
some of which are now proving as productive, remain¬ 
ed untouched. 

These territories, from which enterprise was ban¬ 
ished by the war, remained, with all their mineral and 
oleaginous wealth, unrevealed, quietly waiting the 
time when, without the din and perils of war, the men 
of toil could enter the subterraneous chambers, and 
bring forth their treasures to the world. This period 
has at last arrived. Steadily the rebellious forces 
have been pushed and driven back, until this portion 
of West Virginia, at least, can be said to be entirely 
free from them. Men begin to feel again that they 
are safe and secure under the old government, and 
with this feeling comes the revival of business. But 
few days have elapsed since the development of an 
entirely new oil district. A few months since, Messrs. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


23 


J. B. Blair & Co., began operating on Bull Creek, and 
at the depth of 160 feet, on the 16th of March, they 
struck a vein of oil which has continued flowing at the 
rate of a thousand barrels of oil per day since. A 
curious fact connected with the oil beds here is the 
following : Commencing at Burning Spring, on the 
Kanawha river, we trace a belt or upheaving of the 
rock, causing a vein of rock some 20 feet in width to 
stand perpendicular on its edge, and running north 
one degree east, crossing Hughes river at the oil wells 
already spoken of; also crossing the railroad near the 
oil wells of Hazlet & Co., and crossing Bull creek at 
the wells first spoken of, Messrs. J. B. Blair & Co.’s ; 
thence on and crossing the Ohio river, the oil district 
appearing to follow this upheaving or rather this up¬ 
heaving appearing to designate where oil exists. All 
along this line may be found gas or burning springs. 
As these gas springs are an excellent indication of 
oil, it may be safely said that oil will be discovered 
the entire length of this belt, thus giving West Vir¬ 
ginia almost treble the amount of oil territory to that 
of Pennsylvania. Already borings have commenced 
on and all along this line ; probably there will not be 
less than one hundred wells sunk this season at differ¬ 
ent points, yet undeveloped, between Burning Spring 
and the Ohio river. That many will be successful 
cannot be doubted. Professor Bodgers, in an able 
article on the history of Petroleum, brought out last 
July, believes the great basin to be near the Ohio 
river in this State. Indeed, the large yield of the 
wells on Bull creek, five miles from the Ohio river, 
recently discovered, would seem to be proof of this 
assertion. It is not intended here to discuss the 
theory of the origin of Petroleum nor yet its composi¬ 
tion, or gravity of the several oils obtained in West 
Virginia. In regard to the latter, suffice to say they 
differ little from the Pennsylvania oils, a very able 


24 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


report of which we have from Professor J. B. Lesley, 
just published. Indeed, these great oil bearing dis¬ 
tricts differ but little in any respect, both being hilly, 
clayey soil, well watered, and with an abundance of 
timber. 

It will be observed that the yield of Petroleum 
here during the year 1863 is less than former years. 
This, however, cannot be taken as an index of the real 
productiveness of the region ; it may be said this was 
all that was brought to market. 

In May last, the Rathbone district was, together 
with all the apparatus, burned and entirely destroyed 
by the rebel forces under General Jones. Twenty 
thousand barrels of oil were burned with it. The 
losses were heavy, and, of course, were severely felt, 
both in material destroyed and time spent in re-build¬ 
ing ; had these disasters been averted, the yield would 
have been equal to former years. 

We rejoice to believe that the day is now come 
when, in peace and without hinderance, West Virginia 
will be permitted to demonstrate the true extent and 
richness of her oil districts. The wise and energetic 
administration of the affairs of our State is beginning 
even now to tell in our behalf. 

Oil is brought to Parkersburg, the general oil mar¬ 
ket of the State, from Burning Spring during the 
spring and fall, by flatboats on the Kanawha river, at 
a cost of seventy-five cents per barrel : other seasons 
when the river is not navigable, it is wagoned at a 
cost of two dollars per barrel. It is well to mention 
here that a bill has recently passed the Virginia Leg¬ 
islature for the improvement of this river. A compa¬ 
ny has already been formed, sufficient stock subscrib¬ 
ed, and we may expect that soon the Kanawha will be 
navigable all the year. 

Prom Hughes river and Petroleum districts the oil 
is hauled to points on the North-Western Virginia 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


25 


Railroad, at a cost of twenty-five to fifty cents per bar¬ 
rel, and from Bull Creek it is hauled to the Ohio river 
at a cost of fifty cents per barrel. 

GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL REPORT UPON 
PETROLEUM LANDS SITUATED IN THE STATES 
OF OHIO AND WEST VIRGINIA. 

BY W. F. ROBERTS, GEOLOGIST. 

On the line of the “ great upheaval ridge,” other¬ 
wise called the “ Oil Break,” an anticlinal axis of the 
stratification, running in a north and south direction 
through the States of Ohio and West Virginia, the 
most productive and profitable oil wells have been 
bored. Many celebrated localities for Petroleum, 
such as Little Muskingum and Duck creek in Wash¬ 
ington County, Ohio ; and Bull creek and Dorse Neck, 
in Pleasants; Petroleum and Goose creeks, in Ritchie ; 
and Hughes river and Burning Springs run, in Wirt 
Counties, in West Virginia, through which this “ Oil 
Break” extends, are noted places for flowing and 
pumping oil wells, and previous to the commencement 
of operations in boring for oil, this line of anticlinal 
was remarkable for the numerous gas and oil springs, 
found in places along it, some of which could be igni¬ 
ted readily and would burn continuously. These sur¬ 
face “ signs” as they are termed, led “ oil men” to 
these particular spots to bore, and success generally 
has been the result. 

The first tract of “ oil land,” a part of the property 
I am desired to report upon, is on “Rawson’s” run 
and tributaries, a mile south from “ Horse Neck,” 
where the famous “ Gilfillen” well was bored, which 
flowed so copiously. “ Rawson’s” run is a most im 
portant location. On it the celebrated “ Tack” well 

is located, with others of note .belonging to the 

2 


26 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


“American Oil Company,” “ Sharp and McKinney,” 
Campbell, &c. These profitable oil wells, which are 
yielding princely revenues to their owners, are ad¬ 
joining the “ Maston Farm,’’and on it, the selfsame 
surface evidence for Petroleum exists, as those seen 
at the places where these productive wells have been 
bored, and the same as those seen on “ Horse Neck” 
previously ; and moreover, this tract of land, embraces 
the same geological characteristics and topographical 
contour as the others, and lies immediately on the 
same “ Oil Break,” the same anticlinal axis of the 
strata, which crosses Horse Neck at the Gilfillen well 
and extends in a direct line through this “ Maston 
Farm” which is only a short mile from Horse Neck. 
The same causes produce the same results generally, 
and there is no reason to doubt the existence of im¬ 
mense supplies of Petroleum underneath the “ Maston 
Farm.” Bawson’s run, on which the Maston property 
lies, is a branch of “ Horse Neck run,” which is a 
tributary of Bull creek. These runs are about five 
miles from the Ohio river, and is the first greatly im¬ 
portant Petroleum locality after crossing the Ohio in 
Virginia. It is in Pleasants County. The shipping 
wharf is at the mouth of Bull creek. 

Tho Maston property presents a large amount of 
boring territory, the ravines are deep cut and the 
ridges deep sided. The tract is well timbered with 
various useful kinds of wood. There is on it a fine 
growth of white oak, which will become valuable when 
the property has been fully developed for oil, in the 
manufacture of barrels and tanks, for which purposes, 
this kind of timber is adapted. The land, when 
cleared, makes good farming land and yields good 
crops. But its surface value is small in comparison to 
the worth of ^the Petroleum beneath, which may be 
drawn otf from the cavities and crevices in the rocks 
below ; -within the boundary lines of this tract of land, * 





WEST VIRGINIA. 


27 


and in it is a vein of coal five feet thick, which sup¬ 
plies all the wells around Horse Neck with fuel. 

The next location, to which my attention was direct¬ 
ed, was to other Petroleum lands situated on tributa¬ 
ries of “ Fifteen Mile” creek, an affluent of the Little 
Muskingum river, in Washington County in the State 
of Ohio, and lying on the same “ Great Oil Break” 
above spoken of. 

The “ Burning Spring tract” is situated on a branch 
of Mill Fork, a tributary of Fifteen Mile creek. The 
name of this tract is taken from an oil spring of large 
size, one of the most extensive I know of, which burns 
from several jets of gas from below, and apparently 
constantly and regularly supplied. The celebrated 
“ Paw-paw” oil region lies north of the territory I am 
reporting upon. The anticlinal axis, or so termed 
“ Oil Break,” crosses these tracts of land. The hills 
here are of the same geological formation as they are 
further south along the line of this “ Oil Break ;” the 
strata consists of sand stones and shales, with lime¬ 
stone, iron ore and bituminous coal veins intervening. 
One coal vein in this part of the country is seven feet 
thick in places where it has been opened. 

Lubricating oil, the most valuable in the market, 
worth twice as much as illuminating, on account of it3 
scarcity, will in my opinion be reached on “ Mill 
Fork,” where the lands I am speaking of are located, 
by boring a moderate depth. The illuminating oils, 
of course will require deeper wells to tap them. The 
greatly productive oil localities of “ Cow Bun” and 
“ Newell’s Run,” where' wells are yielding largely, 
are south of the places referred to in this report. 
Hence the farms above named are admirably situated 
in all respects, geologically and otherwise, and promise 
to become, when properly developed, important pro¬ 
ductive and profitable territory. 


28 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


ANOTHER REPORT. 

Professor Peter F. Stout, Geologist, of Philadelphia, 
says of a tract on Carpenter’s Run : Upon Carpenter’s 
Run I observed many indications of oil existant. The 
bubbling of gas in the stream at various points, sapo¬ 
naceous or oily matter following the gaseous exhala¬ 
tions, pebbles discolored,—evidences of the existence 
of latent oil. Following this stream to the western¬ 
most boundary of the property, I saw many other sur¬ 
face indications. The geological disturbances here 
were observable. Upon the other streams the same 
indications were prevalent. I am of the opinion that 
it will prove good Oil Territory. I was favorably im¬ 
pressed with the Estate, as well in regard to locality 
as to development. 

FROM WAYNE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA. 

I was at Catlettsburg, Ky., yesterday, and met one 
of the three Massachusetts men here prospecting 
for oil. There has not been much excitement on the 
subject, for the reason, I suppose, that it is not safe 
for the men to go up the country. There is plenty of 
oil, I believe up the Big Sandy river. At least, there 
are abundant indications of oil, and two springs that 
will burn ! One called the Burning Springs, is thirty- 
seven miles from the mouth of the Sandy, in Wayne 
county, near the Logan county line. I have never 
seen it; but heard it talked of and described many 
times. Not at all times, but most of the year, the 
spring will burn if set on fire, and has been known to 
burn for several weeks. Before the war, several wells 
were sunk on the Kentucky side of the river, but be¬ 
fore anything was realized, the secesh excitement be¬ 
came so warm that men could not operate with safety. 
The strangers, who have lately been here, have decid- 





WEST VIRGINIA. 


29 


ed not to try to do anything until spring. They ex¬ 
press themselves satisfied with the prospect. Com¬ 
mencing ten miles from the mouth of the Sandy, and 
extending to forty-seven miles from the mouth on 
both forks, the surface indications of oil are found, 
and in every place where they have bored, it is made 
certain that there is oil. Cannel and bituminous coal 
is also plenty. There is good prospect that a railroad 
will be built on the Virginia side of the Sandy, forty 
miles up into a marvellously rich coal region. When 
that is commenced, the oil wells will be numerous 
enough 


SALE OF CONFISCATED REBEL FARMS. 

Next week will be sold at public auction a fine 
lot of farms in the adjoining county, belonging to reb¬ 
els before the war. A large number of loyal men of 
that county, who were never in the United States 
service, but have been arrested and sent to Rich¬ 
mond, or otherwise maltreated, brought suits for 
damages against prominent rebels who have abandon¬ 
ed their homes here, and gone into Dixie for personal 
safety, or are in the rebel army. Judgment was easily 
obtained, and the real estate of the absent rebels has 
been seized to be sold and pay the damages. I know 
of no better investment for capital in West Virginia. 
Certainly nothing could be safer or more sure to be 
profitable. There are about thirty of these farms, and 
20,000 acres of land. One tract of 1465 acres belong¬ 
ed to the late rebel General Jenkins, is situated on 
the Ohio, and is nearly all very beautiful rich meadow 
land. Some of the farms are in a section called Ter¬ 
ry’s Valley, finely located, rich soil, with young or¬ 
chards, and good roads to the Ohio river. Terry’s 
Valley is fifteen miles from the mouth of the Guyan- 
dotte river on the Ohio, by the turnpike, and ten 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


30 ' 

miles to the nearest point on the Ohio. Nearly all 
these farms, now referred to, were kept in a high 
state of cultivation, and produced abundantly. I have 
often admired that part of the country, and wondered 
why northerners who occasionally get into these pleas¬ 
ant places have not more of them got in there. This 
property belongs to wealthy and aristocratic citizens 
of West Virginia who owned negroes, despised “ mud¬ 
sills,” and felt that it was their duty to go off with 
their brethren of the east into rebellion. What personal 
property they could carry with them they secured, in¬ 
tending to come back and occupy their real estate 
when they had conquered the federal government, and 
made it safe to do so. But it will all be securely in 
the possession of others in a few days. 

WEST VIRGINIA AS A PLACE TO LIVE IN. 

I could not conscientiously recommend any one to 
come here now to live, although investment in farms * 
will surely be profitable. The trouble now, chiefly, is, 
that the guerrillas have broken up their organization, 
if they ever had any, and scattered into small squads 
to rob and steal. A schoolmistress, passing along a 
lonely road not far from Ceredo, was robbed of all 
her money, the amount she had just received for three 
months* teaching, by three ruffians. A few nights ago 
three men went to the house of a quiet farmer, one 
mile from Ceredo, and robbed him of a few dollars, all 
he had, and boots and some clothing. Some of the 
citizens keep arms in their houses, and intend to use 
them if visited in that way. One of these shot one of 
a gang of six one night not long ago, but became 
frightened himself, and ran off, giving the robbers a 
chance to take their wounded companion away. He 
has not been troubled since. Gen. Crook, command¬ 
ing the Department of West Virginia, has issued a 




WEST VIRGINIA. 


31 


circular notifying the people that they must organize 
for their own protection, and recommends them to 
hunt the bushwhackers and kill them. Governor Bore- 
man offers to furnish arms and ammunition. It will 
be done, and the guerrillas, will decrease every week, 
I hope. 

WEST VIRGINIA AND OHIO OIL REGIONS. 

Tne editor of the Boston Commercial Bulletin , the 
best authority in New England on Petroleum and min¬ 
ing matters, has just made a horseback tour through 
the Ohio oil regions, and refers to them as follows : 

“ The richness of this portion of the oil producing 
country running through West Virginia and southwest¬ 
ern Ohio, is attracting the attention of capitalists. 
The great oil belt of Ohio in particular, which has re¬ 
ceived but little attention in comparison with other 
localities, gives unmistakable indications of an im¬ 
mense deposit of oleaginous wealth. 

" We have recently made a thorough personal ex¬ 
amination of a large portion of the Ohio regions in 
company with an early explorer and also an old 
pioneer, who years ago was wont to travel over them 
with axe and rifle on hunting expeditions—long before 
the oil springs were thought to be anything more than 
a curiosity—and in comparing the indications and 
external appearances as well as present developments 
with those of Venango county, Pa., which we visited 
last fall, we shall not be surprised at even richer de¬ 
velopments here than those of that now noted country. 

“ It is an established fact that the Ohio oil is of 
more than double the value of Pennsylvania, owing to 
its superior quality and purity, while the large deposits 
of coal on the oil lands renders fuel literally, ‘ cheap 
as dirt/ 

“We met during our excursion, two or three 


32 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


representatives of Boston capitalists, who, with that 
caution which belongs to our merchants, had gone out 
to see for themselves the character, position and pro¬ 
bable value of the property before making investments. 
Besides the satisfactory tests showing the presence of 
oil, and the quality of that obtained from the wells 
already sunk, those who purchase in this locality now 
will probably be able to buy either of the original 
owner or first purchaser, while the Pennsylvania re¬ 
gion farms have changed hands so often that there is 
but little chance at this time of obtaining any that are 
not worthless, except at fabulous prices.” 

LAND TITLES IN WEST VIRGINIA. 

Among the subjects which ought to require the 
strictest attention, from persons who are about to in¬ 
vest in the stock of oil companies, there is one matter 
of the most vital importance, which in the headlong 
anxiety which exists to make money, is very generally 
overlooked. In ordinary transactions, which are con¬ 
nected with transfers of real estate, or interests in it, 
no sane man would pay a dollar upon any bargain, un¬ 
less by the advice of a good lawyer or conveyancer, 
that the title was good, and that he was acquiring 
something which he could hold. To buy a law suit is 
not a popular method of investment, and hence the 
property owner, before parting with his money, takes 
the best advice. In this city the business of convey¬ 
ancing has become a strict methodical science. Before 
a lawyer or a first class conveyancer will pass a title, 
he requires to be satisfied on many points. Astute 
conveyancers frequently find difficulties about past 
transfers, and trouble is given to obtain releases from 
parties who are supposed to have nominal interests, or 
proof is required that certain persons who have held 
contingent claims during their lives are actually dead. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


33 


Should all these matters prove satisfactory, the lawyer 
or conveyancer is prepared to “ pass the title,” the 
money is paid, and the new owner enters upon his 
purchase under the belief that his title is indefeasible. 

There is no description of real estate which requires 
more precaution, care and attention in the purchase 
than oil property, and no man should take hold of any 
leases in West Virginia without having had them thor¬ 
oughly investigated. The titles, especially in Western 
Virginia, are mostly very defective, and leases, in a great 
many cases, have been taken up by mere boys, who 
did not know how a lease had to be legally made,who in 
addition to this have made up descriptions of the leased 
lands in such a shape, that when one comes out and 
compares the laws with the leases, he finds everything 
wrong and worthless. A law firm in this city, whose 
advertisement may be found on another page, has 
therefore, established a branch office at Parkersburgh, 
for the purpose of investigating titles, drawing and 
executing deeds, etc. 


A VISIT TO THE OIL REGIONS OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

BY JOHN RUSSELL YOUNG. 

The Little Kanawha Valley .—In arranging my tour 
through the oil regions as the representative of the 
Press it occurred to me that, as West Virginia pre¬ 
sented more romantic and peculiar features than any 
other part of King Petroleum’s new and marvellous¬ 
ly extending domain, it would be well to bend my 
steps thitherward. So I found myself in the cabin of 
a cosy Ohio, steamer, sluggishly steaming along the 
narrow and long river that separates Ohio from Vir¬ 
ginia. It was a cold November day, but we managed 
to coax enough sunshine out of the leaden skies to 


34 


THE OIL-DORADO OP 


make our trip rather pleasant. It was in the morning 
when we left Wheeling, and the night was far advan¬ 
ced when we reached Parkersburg. A reconnoitering 
party reported that there was neither room nor enter¬ 
tainment for man in the town, and we were content to 
pass the night in our little cubby holed state rooms. 
As the boat returned before sunrise, we were driven 
on shore by a pertinacious clerk—sleepy, sullen and 
hungry—and disposed to be resentful towards the 
falling rain. I should certainly recommend Parkers¬ 
burg to any gentlemen whose propensities are amphib¬ 
ious. The delightful uncertainty as to whether we 
were on land or water, and the ingenuity with which 
every deceptive pool was scanned, would have been 
charming to philosophic men. We were not philoso¬ 
phers, who had huddled around the stove in the bar¬ 
room of the Swann House and looked at the barkeeper 
deprecatingly, as men who had neither house nor 
home, and, therefore, were in the condition of unin¬ 
vited guests or poor relations. We were nothing but 
poor oil hunters, who came merely to get rich. Wo 
had heard of the many feasts, and the great good 
things that Petroleum was giving his subjects, and we 
came as crumb-hunters. Where so much was given 
there might be something to spare, and what is the 
use of working for a living when we can prosper by 
our wits ? I believe this was the feeling of a major¬ 
ity of all who splashed through the mud and groped 
their way to the hotel. One of them was a sight-see¬ 
ing gentleman all the way from England, who carried 
with him a number of old fashioned trunks, and, not 
being in the oil business, felt disposed to be cross. 
We became friends, for I had neither oil stocks nor 
oil lands, and no interest in King Petroleum beyond 
the bright, golden, dazzling light that brightens up 
this page as I write. So we felt the sympathy of 
petulance, and the vengeance bestowed upon ill natur- 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


35 


ed domestics and tardy waiting men, was sublime. 
My English friend gave us a dissertation upon coffee 
that astonished the breakfast-table, and when, 'after 
rejecting four cups, he expressed a profane willing¬ 
ness to go down into the kitchen and make it himself, 
the money-changers and speculators of Parkersburg 
began to feel that there was one of the number who 
could not be tempted into an uncomplaining allegiance 
to the new regime. I gave that Englishman my love, 
and when he told me through two weary hours, about 
the hounds of Yorkshire and the many virtues posses¬ 
sed by his cousin, the Lord of Roastbeef, I felt that 
my self-denial and long suffering found a slight return 
for his frankness and energy. 

PARKE KSBUKG. 

Parkersburg is the oil metropolis of the West Vir- 
gina District. At the junction of the Ohio and Kana¬ 
wha rivers, and connected with the north and west by 
a branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, it com¬ 
mands all the trade of the West Virginia Valley. It 
is within easy distance of Marietta, the metropolis of 
the Ohio district; of all the railway connections of the 
country, and but thirty-six hours from New York or 
Chicago. It is a straggling, imperfect unfinished 
town, which had, in earlier days, been prosperous, but 
upon which the blight of war had fallen and dried up 
the sap and vigor. Many rich men live here. How 
rich men could content themselves to live in a place as 
this, is a mystery of money-getting that I cannot ex¬ 
plain. The oil princes—to use a common phrase—do 
not spend all their wealth here, however. They make 
their money and hurry away with it, regarding this as 
a kind of oily Rialto, where good money is to be gather¬ 
ed up and carried to other markets. The class of men 
who live here are, therefore, unlike the men who 


36 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


ploughed up California and are now ploughing up 
Colorado. There is very little gambling, no bowie- 
knives, and little of that primitive civilization which 
disgraced the Pacific coast and made a vigilance com¬ 
mittee necessary. We are so near New York and 
Philadelphia that capitalists can come and see for 
themselves and return in ten days. The only difficul¬ 
ty is with the guerrillas. If a man is nervous and 
not a believer in predestination he had better not ven¬ 
ture far beyond the regions of Burning springs. Still 
this is merely a fear, that looks dismal when read from 
newspapers in Northern parlors, but is laughed at in 
Western Virginia. In 1861 there was really cause 
for alarm. In 1862 the guerillas had complete poss¬ 
ession of the country, and a man’s horse was about as 
safe as the life of a lamb in a wolf infested forest. Be¬ 
yond that, however, no danger exists, or has ever ex¬ 
isted. No lives have ever been lost by oil hunters, 
and but rarely a horse is taken. Guerilla life cannot 
subsist on this regimen, and a journey from Parkers¬ 
burg to Burning Springs is as safe as from Philadel¬ 
phia to Germantown. Even beyond that point, and 
far on in the rich counties that are now regarded as 
neutral but dangerous ground, the military authorities 
are busily engaged in making arrangements for secur¬ 
ing rebels and robbers, and in a few weeks Northern 
capital and enterprise will be permitted to enter and 
possess these coveted acres. 

BURNING SPRINGS AND THEREABOUTS. 

Although I began this paper by making Parkers¬ 
burg the centre of the sketch, and, as it were, the base 
of operations for my West Virginia campaign, the 
town itself does not lie in what is geologically called 
the “ oil belt.” That is to say that no great oil de¬ 
posits have been in the country immediately around it. 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


37 


Yet to the north and the south, and the east and the 
west, we find many good wells and successful enter¬ 
prises. Why this plateau should he so barren caDnot 
be accounted for, except as a freak of nature that we 
must submit to when we wander into theso oily moun¬ 
tains and valleys. It should be constantly borne in 
mind that in dealing with Petroleum we have a science 
that is entirely new, and that all of our investigations 
have arrived at no rule by which to determine its na¬ 
ture of origin. I fancy, however, there are very few 
geologists or men of science among the busy crowds 
that are seen around Parkersburg. They cling to the 
Burning Spring as the nucleus of all their speculations. 
When land is bought the first question is, How far are 
you from the Burning Spring ? When land is sold, 
the seller is impressed with the belief that he is in 
the same belt with the Burning Spring. “ Every road 
leads to Home,” and with the gentlemen in Wirt 
county, every road leads to the Burning Spring. So 
like a true traveller, when I came to Parkersburg, and 
found all the world was pushing to Burning Spring, I 
chartered a homely and comfortable Bosinante and 
went on my way along the Elizabeth pike, with the 
rest of oily mankind. Take the map of Virginia and 
you will find that in a southern direction from Parkers¬ 
burg in the adjoining county of Wirt, a small creek 
empties into the Kanawha river, known as Burning 
Spring creek. There are. a number of other streams 
in the neighborhood, such as Standing Stone run, Net¬ 
tle run, Beedy run, Two Bifles run, Chestnut run, and 
others that only make their appearance in the oil com¬ 
pany maps. This point, lying in a southerly direction 
from Oil City, is the heart of the present Virginia oil 
region, and around it for a radius of fifty miles, em¬ 
bracing the counties of Tyler, Pleasants, Wetzel, 
Bitchie, Wood, Wirt, Boane and Calhoun, we have 
what is known as the Western Virginia Oil Territory. 



38 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


The road was very soft and yielding, and a heavy 
shower of rain was falling as we rode along the Par¬ 
kersburg pike. My companion was an old settler, one 
who had lived there all his life, and a man of much in¬ 
telligence. His home was on the banks of the Kanawha, 
a few miles from Burning Spring,and he promised to ac¬ 
company me to Elizabeth, help me ford the river, and 
send me on my way rejoicing. After leaving the town 
we pass into a low rolling country and find, for a few 
miles, the leaves and fields to be as unostentatious as 
those in Chester county. Very quickly the scene be¬ 
gins to change. Hills that we city people would 
gladly call mountains, that seemed to rise and swell 
against each other as though in anger, venting their 
animosity in numerous small and narrow ravines, 
through which the falling rain kissed the mountain 
wrath. We were constantly ascending or descending 
a hill, and at every turn of the road we came to some 
unaccountable abyss, over which the moss was grow¬ 
ing, and down in whose crevice dark streams of greasy 
water would arise. Oil men had been here with 
sticks and divining rods, and wherever there was the 
odor of gas, or a mere globule upon the water, straight¬ 
way its value advanced a thousand per cent. 

As we approach Elizabeth we cross a very high hill 
and descend into a plain formed by the Kanawha 
river. Here we have the first indication that many 
years ago, when breaking a rock, and endeavoring to 
sink a salt spring, a stream of greasy water gushed 
forth, which became ignited and burst into flame, 
whereupon all the world for twenty miles came to see 
it, and those who were religious said their prayers, 
for, according to the Scripture, the world was to be 
destroyed by fire, and behold nothing was necessary 
to consummate the Divine decree but the application 
of a match. However, that generation passed away, 
and still another generation, until a people came who 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


39 


cared neither for fire nor Scriptures, and began to 
offer the farmers large sums for their acres, and to 
bore for oil. Then the old men told the story of the 
fire, and, although the site was designated, men have 
hunted, and bored, and even prayed in vain for the 
burning stream. In 1860 at Teast three thousand 
people were in and around Elizabeth, boring for oil, 
and endeavoring to develop oil lands. There came a 
Crisis. The price of Petroleum suddenly decreased, 
until the barrels, as they came from the hands of the 
cooper, were of more value than the oil that filled 
them. Two causes led to this. The world had not 
learned the uses of Petroleum, and the early surface 
wells threw forth so many barrels of oil, that the 
supply was larger than the demand, and the market 
became overstocked. This disheartened capitalists, 
and lands fell. Then came the war. Virginia seced¬ 
ed, and the line of the Ohio became contested ground. 
McClellan crossed, but his forces were too busy with 
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to think of protect¬ 
ing the three thousand oil hunters then swarming 
along the Kanawha. Although there was no organized 
army of the Confederates in West Virginia, there was 
nevertheless a body of guerillas who were constantly 
harrassing the country. The result was that a panic 
ensued. In a week the whole party left. The der¬ 
rick stood in the field with the half bored well, the oil 
gushed up and overspread the ground, the houses 
were torn down for camp fires, and the whole enter¬ 
prise perished. It is now rising again under the im¬ 
petus of the great excitement in Pennsylvania. 

Elizabeth is an astonished town to day. The peo¬ 
ple do not know what all this means. Their lands, 
that were but recently of no value but for sheep-feed¬ 
ing, are in as great a demand as turkeys on thanksgiv¬ 
ing day. You will find, on looking at the map, that 


\ 



40 


THE OIL-DOKADO OF 


after leaving tlie Kanawha, at Parkersburg, we touch it 
again at Elizabeth. There is no bridge over the river, 
but we managed to ford it, and, taking the road that 
leads through the Two Rifles run, pushed directly on, 
leaving the river behind and sinking for the headquar¬ 
ters of Burning Spring creek. I could not imagine a 
more disagreeable day than that on which I made this 
remarkable journey. The rain was pouring in torrents, 
a dead, steady, incessant rain, as though Jupiter Plu- 
vius had become weary of this dirty earth, and was de¬ 
termined to give it a thorough drenching. The run 
crosses and recrosses the road, and as the rain had 
swollen it beyond all recent precedent, we were com¬ 
pelled to ford it at least twenty times, when another 
mountain arose before us. 

The road wound around the mountain, and as we 
came to the summit, far below the Kanawha circled its 
way, until the eye could no longer distinguish it from 
the clouds. Notwithstanding it was November (and 
of all days the most Novemberish) there was some¬ 
thing ecstatic in the wild freedom of this gorgous 
scenery. Go to West Virginia that you may climb 
the high hills and bow down before the sublimity of 
Almighty God. I checked the pace of my patient and 
homely Rosinante, and, thoughtless of the rain, of the 
journey that lay beyond, and the many miles I had 
given myself on the map, surrendered my whole soul 
to the enrapturing scene. Now that I write these 
lines far away from the Kanawha, and think of the 
Burning Spring, its mud and rain, and greasy waters, 
and eager, avaricious, hungry men, in muddy boots— 
that glimpse of nature rises to the mind and brightens 
all. 

The country has a wild and sterile appearance ; the 
banks of the river are often steep and perpendicular, 
while the valleys are generally narrow, and in many 




WEST VIRGINIA. 


41 


cases there are marshes and swamps running from the 
base of the hills to the banks of the river. The hills 
are generally from three to five hundred fcet high, of¬ 
ten covered with boulders of sandstone rock ; a heavy 
growth of timber, in almost all cases, covers the hills 
from base to summit, but which is rapidly disappear¬ 
ing before the woodman’s axe. Evidently, nature 
has been convulsed and in trouble here at some time, 
and, judging from the appearance of the broken and 
shivered rocks, the struggle must have been tremen- 
dous. 

All along the (Kanawha) river and on the banks of 
its tributary rivers, we find evidences of the great 
panic that suddenly strangled the enterprises of 1800. 
Every few rods we see the black and mouldering der¬ 
rick and the unfinished well in the ground. The few 
brave men who remained have made princely fortunes 
—the Itathbones, Camdens and McFarlands being 
among the oil princes of this new domain. They made 
their money by buying these lands at low figures, sink¬ 
ing good wells, and disposing of their purchases to the 
companies recently formed in New York and Philadel¬ 
phia. Around the Buring Springs there are but few 
wells throwing up oil, and these are not recently de¬ 
veloped, but the remnants of wells that have produced 
as many as one thousand barrels per day, in their time, 
the gas sending up the oil in a thick, rushing stream as 
high as the tree tops, so that no tank could hold it, and 
it rushed out into the river and covered the stream. 
The old “ Eternal Centre ” well is eccentric. It was 
discovered by one of the Itathbones in 1860, and when 
struck the finder clapped his hands, and shouted, for 
he had found, he said, “ the eternal centre of the great 
oil basin.” It docs not flow in a stream, but every six 
hours sends forth a few barrels, making a yield of 
about twenty or twenty-five barrels a day. The other 



42 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


wells in this vicinity are pumping wells, and some of 
them reach as high as fifty or a hundred barrels a day. 
And yet, in justice to those who have spent large sums 
here, it must be said that when we speak of West Vir¬ 
ginia we speak of a business that is in its absolute in¬ 
fancy. 

THE LINE OF THE GREAT UPHEAVAL. 

Although I confine my remarks to this narrow spot, 
called the wells of the Burning Spring, it must be re¬ 
membered that the territory I traversed from Bull 
creek to Tyler county, and thence to Park creek, em¬ 
braced the greater part of a hundred miles. There is 
what the geologists call a belt of oil land running from 
Tyler county, Virginia, to Charleston, in Kanawha 
county. Take a map of Virginia and stick a pin at the 
point marked Middlebourne, in Tyler county. Thence 
carry the eye in a southwesterly direction until you 
reach Charleston, in Kanawha county, on the great 
Kanawha river. We will suppose this belt to be thirty 
miles in width, and we have the oil territory before us. 
It embraces nine counties : Tyler, Pleasants, Ritchie, 
Wood, Wirt, Calhoun, Roane, Jackson, and Kanawha. 
In all these counties oil has been found. In Wirt coun¬ 
ty more wells have been struck—and in Tyler county, 
which seems to be a counterpart of Wirt, the geologi¬ 
cal features are strongly marked. I did not visit Kan¬ 
awha or Jackson county, as the country was too unset¬ 
tled for random travellers ; but in all the other counties 
I found the same singular geological formation. The 
hills seem to pitch and toss and tumble as though the 
Titans had been hurling mountains at e-ch other in 
some early supernatural war. They have a confused, 
whimsical look, and by their combinations excite odd 
and amusing fancies. Yet these strange rocks are fol¬ 
lowed by the oil-hunters with as much avidity as gold 




WEST VIRGINIA. 


43 


diggers in the beds of California rivers. I do not pro¬ 
pose to tempt any criticism upon my geological acquire¬ 
ments by endeavoring to explain these hills or to read 
the riddles that lie hidden in their coveted caverns. 
We know that water and fire are the agencies that 
have revolutionized the surface of the earth ; and that 
in following up our oil investigations, we have merely 
to consider the relations of the stratified and unstrati¬ 
fied rocks that run along the Alleghenian ridges. Coal, 
which is a near relation to petroleum, according to 
many, nothing more than petroleum hardened by some 
hidden chemistry of nature, is found in that group of 
secondary rocks which includes the red sand-stone and 
mountain limestone formations. Petroleum is found in 
the bituminous measures and the sandstone rocks. The 
men who work the wells will tell you that there are 
three sandstone rocks in which oil is found. They 
bore until they strike the first rock, at a distance of 
from sixty to a hundred and fifty feet, and find what 
they call the surface oil. This exhausts rapidly, and 
in many cases does nothing more than emit gas and 
salt water, and thin streams of oily water. Some of 
the most successful wells in Western Virginia were 
surface wells ; but in Pennsylvania the borers try to 
reach the third rock. Here, at a depth of from three 
hundred to a thousand feet, as the formation varies, the 
large basins of oil are found—the basins which have 
given Pennsylvania sixty millions of wealth. The ig¬ 
norance of this fact led many of our early pioneers to 
abandon in despair their enterprises. They sank a 
well to a first or second sandstone, and finding a trick¬ 
ling stream of oil, and no more, they abandoned the 
enterprise poor men. Shrewder managers drove their 
drills deeper, and gloried in wealth. 



44 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


THE GEOLOGY OF PETROLEUM. 

This “ belt ” of oil land lies in what the geologists 
call the coal measures. It is not independent or ex¬ 
clusive, but reappears in the southwestern counties of 
Pennsylvania, and again in Ohio along the valley of 
Muskingum. It is one of many similar deposits or for¬ 
mations. We find it in Canada, in Indiana, Michigan, 
Tennessee, Kentucky, and New York. It has come 
forth plentifully in Venango county, Pa. Yet we 
know that there are oil springs in Russia where the 
traveller can push his cane into the earth and see it 
bubble around him, and that at Burmah, India, there 
is the celebrated Rainanghong oil district with its five 
hundred wells. Science is busy giving us rules for 
gathering the oil, and labor and capital are busy show¬ 
ing Science how she is partly right and partly wrong, 
and not to be depended upon in her petroleum investi¬ 
gations. Now, in comparing results we find that oil 
is found in the corniferous limestone, a rock composed 
of fragments of coal and seashells filled with bitumen. 
Overlying this we have the rock known as the Marcel- 
lus shale, a kind of hard slate formation. Between 
these two rocks, the limestone and shale, all the oil 
reservoirs are found. In Canada, we find these rocks 
not to be more than one hundred and fifty feet thick, 
making the oil comparatively surface oil. In New York 
oil is found in another group of rocks similar in for¬ 
mation, but at least three hundred feet deep. In West 
Virginia these geological indications are very strongly 
marked, and I think upon the practical operation of the 
next three months much of what we call the science of 
petroleum will depend. The surface indications are 
more remarkable than in Ohio or Pennsylvania. These 
tumbled rocks certainly show large crevices beneath, 
in which oil might distil for ages. We have bitu¬ 
men and asphaltum, and we have had oil; and so, 





WEST VIRGINIA. 


45 


if there is any logic in Nature, oil must be here. Yet 
we find on Bull creek, in the very line of this uphea¬ 
val, and within a few rods of the Horse Neck well, that 
borers have found large cavities empty or filled with 
mud. I saw a forlorn young oil hunter at Bull creek, 
who, after boring for some weeks with good indications, 
came to a crevice where his tools were lost. He had 
not found a bottom to his fissure when I left, although 
he was bravely determined to fathom it. It is possi¬ 
ble that here, as on the Little Kanawha, below Park¬ 
ersburg, the fissures are occasioned by the drying or 
shrinking of the rocks. 


HUGHES RUN. 

Having spoken of Burning Springs, and given you 
an idea of the great enterprise there existing, it is 
proper that I should make more particular allusion to 
other points which are now in the hands of capitalists 
and which command the attention of buyers and sellers 
in the East. Next the Burning Springs proper, the 
most important part of West Virginia seems to be 
Hughes river. It is a stream about half as wide as the 
Schuylkill, and so shallow that at most seasons of the 
year a horse can ford it. Flowing into the Kanawha, 
and running in a northwesterly direction, it forms a 
part of the boundary line of Ritchie and Wirt counties, 
and intersects the Little Kanawha at a point called 
Newark, some, twenty miles from the Burning Springs 
run. It is in the line of the great upheaval; and 
there are many interesting geological features in this 
county. It is evident that in the petroleum age the 
geological disturbance was very great. Through this 
line of upheaval the Hughes river forces its way, and 
around it we find many new and interesting strata 
which seem to have been thrown up from the very 
centre of the earth. The rocks of Hughes river seem 



46 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


to bo of a light colored compact flint, of about ten or 
twelve feet in thickness, beneath which are seen the 
shale rocks strongly impregnated with bitumen—a 
rock which is often seen in our coal measures. I do not 
know that any coal has been found on the Hughes 
river, nor have any fossils, such as are often seen in 
the shale rock, been discovered. At the same time, the 
oil men, whether trusting in their own instincts or the 
teachings of geologists, have laid violent hold upon 
these high and rocky banks, and now ask large sums 
for their possessions. In former years, large quanti¬ 
ties of petroleum were taken out of the alluvian bank 
of the Hughes river by a natural process. The rock 
was separated, and through the fissure the oil ran for 
years, saturating the stream. Former settlers, who 
gathered the oil in small quantities for medicinal and 
domestic purposes, were in the habit of laying bare 
this stratum by removing the earth and digging out the 
oil with hoes, axes, and farming utensils. It has been 
said that, with the exception of Venango, the oil has 
flowed here in greater quantities than anywhere else. 
A number of wells have been sunk, but when I passed 
through the country the enterprise had not been far 
enough developed to make Burning Springs and Oil 
creek in any way dread its rivalry. 

BULL CREEK. 

Another point in Virginia is known as Bull creek— 
a stream which runs into the Ohio river some 30 miles 
above Parkersburg, taking its rise in Wood county 
and being one of the number of streams which are 
known as French creek, Cow creek, McElroy creek, 
and by other names that belong to the classic vocabu¬ 
lary of Virginia. The Horse Neck well, some six or 
eight miles from the source of the creek, has attained 
great celebrity, and was, in its day, one of tfie most 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


47 


successful enterprises in Virginia. The supply of oil 
has greatly decreased, I am told, but, at the same time, 
it is a curiosity, and is always visited by travellers 
through this region. The country around Bull creek 
is tame when compared with the vicinity of Burning 
Springs, and might be regarded in Pennsylvania, or 
New York as very pleasant farming land. Here, as in 
Ohio, the capitalist and the artisan are very busy. 
Well, have been sunk, leases are constantly granted, 
and as we ride along the quiet, old fashioned turnpike, 
the tall derrick, with its skeleton pillars and quick 
busy engine, and swearing teamster, as he toils through 
the mud with his load of oil, give us, on a small scale, 
the busy sights of Venango. Further up the Ohio, at 
Sistersville, we come to what seems to me to be the 
beginning of the Virginia line of upheaval. In Tyler 
county, especially around the county-seat, Middle- 
bourne, the evidences of oil are very abundant. This 
is so near our State that one almost imagines he is rid¬ 
ing on Pennsylvania farms and homesteads. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Out of this speculation and fanfaronade, I can sum 
up the results of my ten day’s journeying thus : 

I. West Virginia is but partially developed, and, 
therefore, all purchases of land are speculative, and 
not investments. 

II. The oil territory that extends from Middle- 
bourne, Tyler county, if the surface indications are 
borne out, will be the great oil basin of the Conti¬ 
nent. 

III. That in West Virginia, if capital should fail to 
find recompense in Petroleum, the abundant mineral 
indications will repay enterprise and skill. 

IV. That with the pacification of the country, the 
slack-water of Kanawha, the building of a railroad 


48 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


along the line of the great upheaval, and the erection 
of mining and manufacturing facilities, West Virginia 
will become an empire of industry, wealth, and skill, 
and the valley of the Ohio become as prosperous as 
the valley of the Merrimac or Delaware. 

RAWSON’s RUN, FRENCH AND CROW CREEKS. 

On Dawson’s run there are several wells which 
give a good yield, and those which are being bored 
have a very fine “ show ” of oil. The American Oil 
Company own several wells on this creek, which is a 
feeder of Horse Neck. In October last, Messrs. Tack & 
Brasher, of Philadelphia, struck a well on this stream 
which flowed 800 barrels of oil in a single day. It 
has not however averaged over 120 a day since. This 
well is shallow, being only 200 feet deep. The same 
firm have another well, from this not very far distant, 
which yields 300 barrels a day. While only about 
half a dozen wells were in operation here a few months 
ago, twice that number has since been sunk. 

On French creek, which empties into the Ohio,near¬ 
ly opposite Newport and Newell’s run, about twelve 
miles above Marietta, and about twenty miles above 
Parkersburg, several promising wells have been bored; 
amongst them may be mentioned the one owned by Mr. 
Batfield which gives fine promise of success. Cer¬ 
tain lands have already been leased by Mr. Tisdall to 
the French Creek Oil Company, and it is stated to be 
the intention of that company to open eight wells 
thereon. 

The lands upon Crow creek, which empties into the 
Ohio, about ten miles above Marietta, have been pur¬ 
chased by Eastern capitalists. Messrs. Jackson & 
Pedro own a well on this creek which is five hundred 
and eighty feet deep and throws a heavy stream of 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


49 


water and gas. It is being bored deeper, and when 
completed, the results will no doubt be very satisfac¬ 
tory. 


CROW RUN, DUCK AND BULL CREEKS. 

On Crow run, which empties into the Little Musking¬ 
um, is the McFarland well, over seven hundred feet 
deep ; and about eight miles north easterly from Mari¬ 
etta, the Newton well, which is owned by the Bergen 
Oil Company, and yields about twenty barrels per day, 
after having produced altogether twenty thousand bar¬ 
rels already. The Virginia and Ohio Petroleum Min¬ 
ing Company have, also, a paying well on Crow run, 
and the whole of Crow run is regarded by experienced 
judges to be very valuable for mining purposes. 

About a mile above Marietta, Duck creek empties 
into the Ohio river. Four paying wells are on the 
borders of this stream, one of which, the Beckard well, 
is over seven hundred feet deep, promising to be a well 
of an enduring nature. The territory on Duck run is 
regarded, altogether, as a very fine oil region, and land 
commands a pretty high figure accordingly. On Duck 
creek is also the famous Dutton well, which has already 
yielded over seventy thousand barrels, and the Pitts¬ 
burg Oil Company have a fine well on the farm of 
Mr. Smithson, which spouted a stream of oil as high as 
the tree tops on being struck. The Erie Company, 
as also the Duck Creek Company of Pittsburg are op¬ 
erating on this creek. 

Bull creek is one "of the promising feeders of the 
Ohio, although the territory along the creek has as yet 
but little been worked. Professor Roberts, of Phila¬ 
delphia, says of a tract of land, about two miles below 
the mouth of Bull creek: “ I have within the present 
year made three tours of examination in the oil regions 




50 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


of Ohio and West Virginia, and in no place have I 
seen surface evidences more favorable for Petroleum 
than is to be seen within the limits of this tract. The 
contiguous topographical features of the vicinity, to¬ 
gether with its geological characteristics, are in every 
particular the same as those shown at Cow run and 
Duck creek, in Ohio, on Bull creek, Cow creek, Horse 
Neck. Petroleum and Burning Springs, in Western Vir¬ 
ginia, all of which are oil producing localities. I have 
been on this farm three different times, and once was 
fortunate in being there when the water in Carpenter’s 
run and its tributaries was very low, forming only 
shallow pools in places ; on most of these oil was visi¬ 
ble on the surface, and on some of them it formed a 
thick scum. On McDougal’s and Sugar Camp run 
are well marked lines of fissures in the rocks, present¬ 
ing good points for boring ; some of them show both oil 
and gas, which are considered good surface evidences, 
and offering the strongest inducements for exploration. 

On the main stream of Carpenter’s run, even down 
near to its confluence with the Ohio, 1 found several 
places where the oil would rise to the surface of the 
water by forcing a cane into the sand and gravel form¬ 
ing the bed of the stream. Wdiere the road leading 
from the county road to the farm house crosses Car¬ 
penter’s run by bridge, there is a pool of water some 
three feet deep, and some few rods in length, where 
the gas continues to bubble up and throw off oil. I 
watched it particularly, while standing on the bridge, 
for half an hour or more, and I discovered that these 
bubbles formed a line across the stream in a diagonal 

O 

direction to its course, showing evidently, the direct 
line of a fissure below. 

Mr. L. D. Williams, Geologist, says : “ And taking 
into account the evidence which everywhere exists 
along the Ohio river for a great distance above and 
b p low the mouth of the much talked of crossing the 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


51 


axis of the upheaval, near the mouth of Bull creek, I 
am strongly of the opinion that quite as promising ter¬ 
ritory may be found along many other tributaries of 
the Ohio. I am very favorably impressed with the 
country about Newport, Ohio, and St. Mary’s, Va. 
Much oil is likely to be found in Pleasants county, Va., 
and Washington county, Ohio.” 

HORSE NECK. 

On Horse Neck is situated the big well, known as 
the Gilfillan well. It is about two hundred and fifty 
feet deep, has been worked for several months and has 
yielded from seventy-five to five hundred barrels per 
day. The Stone well, on the same stream, has been 
pumping from twenty-five to thirty barrels a day, and 
is improving. The Greer well, also on this creek, 
remained idle for some time, butis now yielding thirty 
barrels a day. The Shrewsbury well is one of the 
best producing in this vicinity. The Delleker well 
is also remunerative. The Tack wells, which have long 
been famous, are still producing their usual quantity 
of oil, and are reputed to be the leading producing 
wells in the Horse Neck region. The Bull Creek 
Company own several of the wells on this creek. New 
derricks meet one throughout the entire route from 
Bull creek to Horse Neck, and in the vicinity of Horse 
Neck.prices have already partaken of the upward ten¬ 
dency of the Pennsylvania oil region. 

AROUND HUGHES RIVER. 

On the north bank of Hughes river, abandoned oil 
pits cover an area of several acres which, not long 
ago, have been sold to a Pennsylvania Company, while 
three or four other companies are sinking tubes and 
carry on operations. The country south of Hughes 


52 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


river is peculiarly rich in oil and minerals, and all in¬ 
dications point to that territory as abounding in wealth. 
Wherever wells have been bored, oil of a superior 
quality has been obtained. The geological indications 
between Hughes river and the Kanawha being the 
same as those in the most productive oil territory, 
there cannot be any doubt that some fine wells will be 
developed. On a branch of McFarland run is the rich 
vein of mineral bitumen, resembling the famous Al¬ 
bert coal of Nova Scotia. It is called the vertical 
coal seam, and is one of the most remarkable deposits 
of bitumen on the continent. At Burning Springs 
there was produced in the year 1861 four millions of 
gallons of oil, and in 1862 three millions two hundred 
thousand gallons were shipped from there, and yet, 
the territory where this has been produced does not 
exceed one mile square. 

RITCHIE COUNTY. 

Bitchie county is destined to be|the centre of the 
oil producing territory in West Virginia. Although 
oil wells have not been as extensively developed in this 
county as they have been in Wood and Wirt counties, 
there are certain unmistakable signs of the great rich¬ 
ness of the region. Oil is found oozing from the 
ground in every part of the county, and the great 
min of crystallized Petroleum recently found here, in¬ 
dicates how abundant must be the sources of supply 
beneath the surface of the earth. This vein was de¬ 
scribed by Professor Lesly in a paper read before 
the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, but 
its statements were so remarkable that many scientific 
men distrusted the accuracy of the facts which had 
been communicated to Professor Lesly. But few ad¬ 
ditional notices of the vein have been made public ; 
the proprietors of the property not having published 



WEST VIRGINIA. 


53 


anything on the subject, their object being apparently 
to develope the vein extensively themselves, and with 
that view they have been constructing a railroad four¬ 
teen miles long, and now nearly completed, to bring 
the products to market. 

We have availed of all the information that we 
have been able to obtain in regard to this singular 
mineral—so important in its bearing upon the charac¬ 
ter of the oil territory of West Virginia—and we give 
it now in full, even at the risk of some repetition, to 
show that the substantial facts concerning the vein are 
indisputable. 

« 

CRYSTALLIZED PETROLEUM. 

Sherwood’s guide book of West Virginia, gives the 
following description of this vein : 

“ Petroleum coal, (as it is called,) was recently dis¬ 
covered about eight miles from this station, (Cairo) by 
Mr. Frederick Lemmon, in a small ravine between two 
steep hills (some three hundred feet high). The vein 
is about four and a half feet wide, and lays in a verti¬ 
cal position, extending to near the top of each of these 
hills. The oil is extracted directly from the coal, which 
so far has proven to be the richest coal (in oil) ever 
discovered—yielding one hundred and sixty gallons of 
crude oil of very superior quality, to one ton. Emi¬ 
nent geologists have given their opinion that this coal 
is the Petroleum oil (called Rock oil) crystallized, and 
that at the same* depth in the^ earth there is a vast 
reservoir of oil in its pure state.” p 

Dr. Gesner, in his ** Treatise on Petroleum oils,” 
gives the following description of this mineral: 

“ A vein of bitumen has recently been discovered 
near Cairo, Parkersburgh, Virginia. It is represent¬ 
ed as a perpendicular mass, jutting out from the side 


54 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


of a hill two hundred and ninety feet. The strata of 
the hill are nearly horizontal, and they are cut at right 
angles by the continuous vein of the bituminous min¬ 
eral, which is four feet eight inches in thickness. The 
position of the vein has been ascertained by the pro¬ 
prietors, who have sunk a shaft upon the line of the 
outcrop. A sensible description represents that it 
appears the hill has been split, a perpendicular chasm 
opened, and afterwards filled with asphaltum in a 
liquid state, and which has since hardened into a com¬ 
pact material. Coal never occurs in this manner; but 
is always interstratified with its associate sandstones, 

• shales and fire clays. In all its geological relations 
and character, the Cairo deposit is like the asphaltum 
of Albert county, New Brunswick. The bitumen 
veins of Cuba have similar positions in the earth. The 
Cairo asphalt will no doubt be found valuable for the 
manufacture of oils. The samples received from this 
new mine are bright, glossy, and brittle. They are 
rich in oil, and yield at the rate of one hundred and 
seventy gallons per ton. This bitumen is evidently 
Petroleum, which has at some remote period issued 
from the earth and been hardened by evaporation, and 
exposure to the oxygen of the atmosphere. The oil 
springs frequently occur in the immediate vicinity of 
the coal.” 

EXTRACT FROM A REPORT OF CHARLES S. RICHARD¬ 
SON, CIVIL AND MINING- ENGINEER, INCIDENTALLY 

REFERRING TO THE RITCHIE PETROLEUM VEIN. 

In the adjoining estate has been discovered one of 
the most extraordinary mineral deposits ever known 
in this country, a deposit of so strange and unusual 
a character, that if its presence was only once gener¬ 
ally known, it would attract the attention of scientific 
men from all parts of the Union. This is nothing more 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


55 


or less than a perfectly true “ Lode ” running nearly 
east and west, filled in with solid crystallized Petro¬ 
leum or mineral oil, not coal, for it will melt in a ladle 
like pitch, neither is it asphaltum, for its fracture and 
lustre differs materially from that substance. The 
lode is 4 feet 6 inches wide, and has a^ vertical dip. 
There is no admixture of any other earthy substance 
with the mineral as far as the excavations have been 
extended. It appears to be divided into two parts by 
an irregular vertical joint, one portion being granula¬ 
ted, and the other fibrous or somewhat flaky. The walls 
are regular, smooth and well defined in contrast with 
those on the north side. 

Shoad pits have been sunk at intervals in both direc¬ 
tions for over a mile across the mountains on the back 
of the lode, by which its course has been found to be 
regular. 

A trial shaft was next sunk on its dip to the depth 
of 37 feet; and there appeared to be no diminution in 
the quantity or quality of the mineral. 

From an analysis made by a Philadelphia chemist, 
I gather the following particulars of the properties of 
this mineral : that it produces 169 gallons of crude oil 
to the ton, which on refining only loses fifteen per 
cent; that is to say 100 gallons of crude produces 85 
gallons of burning oil, showing that as a material for 
the production of hydro carbon, it is of very great 
value. 

professor Lesley’s report. 

The following report is taken from the printed pro¬ 
ceedings of the American Philosophical Society : 

Professor J. P. Lesley communicated a notice of 
a remarkable coal mine or Asphalt vein, cutting the 
horizontal coal measures of Ritchie county, Western 
Virginia. 


56 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


Mr. Lesley said, that through the kindness of R. H. 
Gratz, Esq., of Philadelphia, a descriptive letter and 
a map had been submitted to him, which exhibited 
geological facts of more than ordinary interest to those 
who are studying the origin of the rock oil deposits 
of the West. ^ 

The curious points of the case require careful in¬ 
vestigation ; but there seems to be no good reason to 
doubt the essential correctness of the statement. 

The coal-beds of West Virginia pass horizontally 
through the. prong-like ridges from valley to valley. 
Some of these ridges run as narrow on top and as 
regular as railroad embankments, for three or four 
miles, and in nearly straight lines, between equally 
straight vales terminating bowl-shaped against some 
cross ridge. *■ 

It is across such vales and dividing ridges, that the 
Asphaltum vein of Ritchie county makes a straight 
course, “ two thousand three hundred and twenty-three 
feet long, as at first measured, but since then traced 
in both directions still further, so that now it is known 
to extend more than two-thirds of a mile.” Explora¬ 
tions beyond this line have failed to find it. Its out¬ 
crop, four feet ten inches thick, was discovered cross¬ 
ing a ravine fifty feet wide at the bottom, and rising 
on each side with slopes of nearly forty-five degrees. 
On one of these hillsides at a height of ninety feet, the 
outcrop showed the same thickness, but at a height of 
one hundred and eighty-five feet, it was found to be 
but two feet six inches thick. It is not certain that 
this diminution is in a vertical direction; it may be 
lateral; for'the slope between the ninety and the 
hundred and eighty-five feet levels is more gradual, 
especially upon the western side. 

In the bottom of the ravine, a vertical shaft was sunk 
to a depth of thirty-four feet upon the vein, which 
continued uniformly four feet ten inches thick, the 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


57 


asphaltum being filled in pure and clear, without the 
least admixture of earthy or foreign ingredients, be¬ 
tween the smooth and almost perfectly vertical walls 
of yellowish-greenish sandstone, lying in horizontal 
layers, through which this gash or fault was once no 
doubt an open fissure, communicating with some reser¬ 
voir of coal oil which still, it may be, lies beneath it 
undisturbed. The most interesting part of the phe¬ 
nomenon for structural geologists is this gash. 

The substance which fills this gash-fault in the coal 
measures of Northwestern Virginia, resembles the 
glossiest, fattest caking coals, and has a decidedly 
prismatic structure ; breaks up into pencils, with flat, 
lustrous faces and sharp edges, but the faces not set 
at any fixed angles to each other, so that the effect 
upon the eye is rather that of a fibrous than of a pris¬ 
matic structure. At the same time there is not the 
slightest appearance of layers, but the aspect of com¬ 
plete uniformity or homogeneity. Pieces are taken out, 
it seems, a foot in diameter ; and that portion of one of 
these pieces which I have, shows a plain face on one 
side, as if it had encountered one of the walls, and is 
covered with a delicate film of a dead black substance 
like charcoal dust, which is probably the dust of the 
vein substance itself. 

Pieces lying at the surface of the ground are said 
to yield as much oil as specimens taken out six or eight 
feet down. By the ordinary dry distillation the sub¬ 
stance is reported to yield as much oil as the Albert 
coal. By a different process, the first and only trial, at 
which six hundred pounds in one charge was used 
forty-four and a half gallons of superior oil was obtain¬ 
ed. Betorts are now upon the ground. 

By an assay made by Mr. B. S. Lyman of Philadel¬ 
phia, (the amount of hydro-carbon soluble in benzole 
being about one-half of the whole) the volatile matter 


58 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


(mean of two assays) was 47.11 per cent, coke (52.71, 
53.07) 52.89, ash (1.65, 1.81) 1.73. 

There seems to be no escape from the conclusion that 
the substance filling this vertical vein is a product of 
the gradual oxidation of coal oil once filling the open 
fissure. It is not impossible therefore that the lower re¬ 
gions of the fissure are stillfilled with liquid oil; and 
that we may see in this instance an illustration of the 
condition of things far beneath the surface of the coal 
oil regions of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. 

The vast quantities of oil delivered by the flowing, 
the blowing and the spouting wells require fissures of 
this kind, either never opened up clear to the surface, 
or else once opened and now reclosed, or else filled in 
with detritus. The different depths at which closely 
neighboring wells begin to spout or to flow, oblige us 
to imagine similar fissures at oblique angles. 

If Sterry Hunt’s hypothesis be accepted, that the 
corniferous limestone is the mother rock of the oil, 
such fissures become still more needful to bring the 
oil to the surface, from the vast depths at which the 
Corniferous Limestone underlies the true coal meas¬ 
ures. 

GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL REPORT OF PRO¬ 
FESSOR W. F. ROBERTS. 

McFarland’s run is a noted locality in the great oil 
formation of West Virginia. A vertical crevice filled 
with crystallized or solidified petroleum in a direct line 
is found crossing the deep cut gorges of small streams 
and rising to the summits of the ridges bounding 
them. 

In the month of June last I made a special visit to 
this part of the country for the express purpose of ma¬ 
king a full and particular examination of this phenom¬ 
enon, if I may so term it, in geology. I traveled 


1 


WEST VIRGINIA. ’ 59 

from Cairo station on the Parkersburg branch of the 
Baltimore and Ohio railroad over a road then in pro¬ 
cess of grading by the Ritchie Coal Oil Company for 
a branch railroad to connect their property containing 
this solidified petroleum deposit with the main road, 
and during this journey, I could not detect anything 
remarkable or different in the general geological struc¬ 
ture of the country to that shown in some of the other 
oil producing sections in the West Virginia “ oil belts *’ 
with the exception of an opening made on the line of 
the road on the Ritchie Coal Oil Company lands near 
McFarland’s run, where there is a vein of a peculiar 
substance, resembling somewhat some of the most 
glossy kinds of bituminous coal. Having secured spe¬ 
cimens, I continued round the point of the hill, and en¬ 
tered a deep cut gorge formed by a small run, a branch 
of McFarland’s, and at about half the distance from 
the head of the run, I reached a shaft sunk upon the 
line of a fissure, or crevice in the strata, in this pecu¬ 
liar kind of substance, of the same quality and charac¬ 
teristics, of the specimen taken from the place above 
referred, to. This crevice is a vertical one, four feet 
four inches wide, and the strata adjoining it on both 
sides is horizontal, a common micaceous sand stone, in 
their plys of a yellowish green color, of the carbonifer¬ 
ous formation. 

The shaft I was informed was sunk thirty-four feet, 
and the crevice continued of the same width down¬ 
ward. It was perfectly filled with solidified Petroleum. 
The course of the dyke or opening in the horizontal 
coal strata run in a course S. 75^- W. and to N. 75^- E. 
which I traced in both directions. I traced the open¬ 
ings which had been made in the line of this crevice up 
the steep sided ridges and over their summits, and I 
found from the specimens visible at the several shafts 
that the solidified or crystallized Petroleum rose to 
the surface, or nearly so, in all places. The west hill 


60 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


bounding the ravine where the dyke crossed over, I 
judged to be about three hundred feet above the level 
of the ravine where the deep pit was sunk. The east 
hill side is about two hundred feet above the ravine. 
Developments of shafting have been made proving the 
continuation of this Petroleum filled crevice in soli¬ 
dified form more than one mile in a direct line, and 
bounded by a flat or horizontal formation of shales and 
sandstones of the middle carboniferous series, similar 
in all respects to other ridges in oil producing sections 
of West Virginia. The walls of the crevice are per¬ 
fectly smooth and regular and exceedingly well de¬ 
fined. 

The crystallized Petroleum has a fibrous structure. 
It is very glossy in appearance, of the color of the 
purest specimens of richest and fattest bituminous gas 
coal. It melts under heat readily and runs like pitch. 
This peculiar mineral has been wrongly called “ As- 
phaltum.” Its fracture, lustre, and general appear¬ 
ance are altogether foreign to the Albert coal, or to 
any other mineral of that class. By experiments made 
upon this crystallized Petroleum it has yielded from 
one hundred and forty to one hundred and sixty-nine 
gallons of oil to the ton. 

Developments will prove the continuation of the 
crevice filled with the same material—the crystallized 
Petroleum—into and through the properties I am re¬ 
porting upon, and in consequence of its embracing 
within their boundary lines two deep cut vallies and 
high ridges intervening, an immense quantity can be 
mined above water level, and one cannot put an esti¬ 
mate too high upon this property, containing as it 
does, this very valuable mineral substance. 

How deep this solidified material may continue 
down beneath the level of the vallies is not determin¬ 
ed. The crevice may get much wider and still be 
filled with this solid Petroleum. One thing is how- 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


61 


ever certain, that it has its source from some immense 
subterranean lake or large opening in the strata of the 
lower measures of liquid Petroleum. The numerous 
gas and oil springs closely contiguous and ranging 
with this dyke show that there are beneath the sur¬ 
face large cavities filled with oil. 

At the junction of the streams which meet in the 
Southern part of this tract is excellent boring territory, 
room enough for a large number of oil wells. The 
geological structure of the strata shows great distur¬ 
bance underneath the surface and here may be seen 
the pure oil oozing out from the joints of the rocks, 
and gas springs bubbling up on the surface of the water 
throwing off oil in rainbow colored tints. The nature 
of the formation, the geological structure of the strata 
and the contour of the surface, as well as other indica¬ 
tions, show that this tract of land is located in an ex¬ 
ceedingly rich Petroleum section of country, where 
proper developments should be prosecuted without 
delay. One thing more may with propriety be men¬ 
tioned, that this solidified Petroleum in all places 
where it has been shafted upon is free from any dele¬ 
terious foreign substance. It is as pure as oil gener¬ 
ally is found in the best oil producing localities of 
West Virginia. 

EEPOET OF NELSON BEALL, ESQ. 

The extensive deposit of mineral bitumen in West 
Virginia is situated in Ritchie county, between the 
North and South forks of Hughes river, about eight 
miles in a direct line from Cairo station on the North¬ 
west Virginia Railroad, thirty-one miles east of 
Parkersburg and three hundred and forty-eight miles 
by rail from Baltimore. When the mineral was first 
discovered, samples were sent to the Eastern cities 
for chemical analysis to determine its character and 


62 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


quality, the results of which were highly favorable. 
To approximate as to the quantity of the deposit, an 
experienced miner was sent to explore the extent of 
the vein, when it was ascertained it could be traced 
in a straight line N. 72° W. at a few feet below the 
surface, about four thousand five hundred feet hori¬ 
zontally, rising from the lowest point of the ravine 
where it was first opened, westerly three hundred and 
ninety-five feet to the top of the hill downwards in 
that direction, and also eastwardly over the point of 
the ridge one hundred and eighty-four feet elevation. 
The vein lies in a precisely vertical position between 
a horizontal soft sandstone rock. Its width at the 
bottom is four feet and eight inches, whilst at an ele¬ 
vation of about one hundred and sixty feet on the east 
ridge itis only about three feet wide, thus indicating 
the probability that it gradually widens as it goes 
downwards. The miner proceeded to sink a shaft in 
the vein, carrying it down thirty-four feet below tl^ 
lowest point of the ravine when a spring of miner¬ 
al water was struck, and further operations suspended 
as being unnecessary. There was no evidence of a limit 
to its depth or the slightest indication of any strati¬ 
fication appearing to show that it was not a solid mass 
of one kind of material. A superior quality of oil is 
gathered from the surface of the water of this spring, 
when during the dry seasons of the year, it collects in 
standing pools in the valley. A sample of this oil 
was sent to the eminent chemist, Dr. T. Ogden Dore- 
mus, of New York. The presence of this Petroleum 
would seem to establish the truth of the theory that 
the vein itself is crystallized Petroleum, and that its 
original source of supply still exists in a liquid form 
in a reservoir of great extent and at a vast depth be¬ 
low the surface of the earth. More than two hundred 
thousand tons of this mineral can be mined above 
water level, at a cost not exceeding one dollar per ton 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


63 


on a production of one hundred tons per day. An ad¬ 
ditional one dollar per ton will place it in the cars of 
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Cairo whence it can 
be sent to Baltimore, or to Parkersburg on the Ohio 
river. 

Thirty-two barrels of this mineral were sent North 
last spring, and nearly all of it was retorted, a large 
portion being put through on a commercial scale in the 
City of Brooklyn, and resulted as follows : 

Yield of one ton. 


Illuminating Gas, 7000 feet @ $2,00.$14 00 

140 Gallons Oil, @ 60.84 00 

17 Bushels Coke, @ 12.2 04 


Whole product in value from one ton, $100.04 


The above results were obtained through an im¬ 
proved process of using superheated steam for the dis¬ 
tillation of the oil, by which method all the incondensi; 
ble.gases can be saved and utilized for purposes of 
illumination in towns and cities. The illuminating 
power of the gas according to the experiments by Pro¬ 
fessor Bogart at the Metropolitan Gas Works, was 
47 candle illuminating power, the standard gas of 
that company being 16 candles. The specific gravity 
of the oil was 29^-°, and its value was computed to be 
one-third more than ordinary Petroleum. It yielded 
in refining the unusually large quantity of thirty-one 
pounds paraffine to the ton of bitumen. 

The analysis of Professor R. Ogden Doremus as 
reported to me resulted as follows : 


100 parts miueral dried at 212° F. 

. 2.15 

TTvflrfurpn . .... 

. 8 45 

Cflrhnn . 

. 75.96 

Owtrpn . . 

. 12.75 

Nitrogen. . 

. 69 


100.00 













64 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


The foregoing description of the vein can be relied 
upon as being as near the facts as one can arrive at. 
I give them from mj own personal knowledge, having 
been originally the pioneer in the exploration of this 
remarkable geological phenomenon. 

EXAMINATIONS AND DISCOVERIES. ' 

We started from Parkersburg and traveled the 
course of the Little Kanawha, from its mouth upwards, 
noting all its geological features the entire distance, 
making sketches of every prominent object, and close¬ 
ly examining all mineralogical changes in the rock 
formation. At Grlenville, eighty miles up the river, 
or seventy miles by direct route, we struck off to the 
south, taking the Ripley turnpike, and in three miles 
came to Cedar Creek, live miles from its entrance in¬ 
to the river. We now followed this stream to its 
’source, which is about twenty-five miles. All along 
this valley we found most positive evidences of springs. 
Four miles above here we came to Big Bull run and 
Butcher’s run. At Bush run, the county line cross¬ 
es the creek. At Myer’s run there are quite a num¬ 
ber of oil indications, and at certain seasons gas may 
be found in many places. Between the country line 
and this place there appears to be a depression in the 
coal measures, for the seams take what appears to me 
a rapid rise to the east. 

Not having time to investigate the matter, we pass 
onward to Slab Camp run. For several miles now 
we find excellent well-boring sites, until we approach 
the head waters of the creek, where the surface indi¬ 
cations diminish very rapidly. Our course is up the 
middle fork and Perkins’ run ; then crossing the ridge 
we go down “ Scouts Path run,” one of the lateral 
branches of a branch of Steer creek. Descending 
this, we come to a promising piece of land, at the 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


65 


point of intersection of several small ravines. Here, 
some day, will be found a good oil location. The weath¬ 
er was so bad and the day waning fast, I had not time 
to examine it with care, so decided to defer it till an¬ 
other time. We now descend the main branch and 
cross over by a low gap, at a settler's house by the 

the dividing ridge, and de¬ 
creek, to the valley of the 

UP RUSH CREEK. 

Up the creek, seven hundred yards from its mouth, 
and near the house of a Mr. Thomson, is a strong oil 
spring, with gas issuing intermittently. At the house 
a well has been sunk for domestic purposes, but in 
summer when the streams become low, the water is 
so “ greasy,” as the women call it, that it renders it 
thereby, totally unfit for use. Hue north from this 
spot on the other side of the hill, in a branch of the 
creek, the gases again find vent and throw up oil in 
the same manner, as in the creek in front of the house. 
Extending our search up Rush creek, on the same 
course of deposit, indications of oil are numerous. At 
the junction of the branches, on the same bottom, are 
two or three gas springs, each throwing up bubbles of 
oil at intervals, and I think when the creek bottom i3 
thoroughly explored, oil will be found in many other 
places. 

SUGAR AND GRANNIES CREEKS. 

In the immediate vicinity of Otter creek, and paral¬ 
lel therewith, having their head branches all running 
up into tho main body of the land, are Sycamore creek, 
Sugar or Sheet creek, and Rockcamp Creek. In all 
of these gas and oil springs are abundant. In one of 
them there is such a continual emission of gas that it 
vies with the famous Burning Spring itself. We 
found not only oil on the surface of the pools, but the 


name ot Jonathan xoung, 
scend by the way of Otter 
Elk. 


66 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


very earth is saturated with it, giving a soapyliferous 
feel to the clay along the bank of the stream in the vi¬ 
cinity of the springs. This district is bound to be¬ 
come one of great interest in a very short time, and I 
look forward with anxiety to the day when its first oil 
developments commence. Passing up the river to¬ 
ward Sutton, the late county seat of Braxton, is 
Grannies creek. I had no time to examine much of 
this creek, but was informed that several very strong 
gas springs have been found. The next creek is at 
the upper end of the town, called the Old Woman’s 
creek, and through which-the G-auley Bridge and Wes¬ 
ton turnpike road passes. Here several coal banks 
have been opened, and very good indications for oil 
may be found. I have no doubt many wells will be 
put down all along this valley, and some of them 
prove very productive. 

BULLTOWN. 

We now make our way upwards towards Bulltown, 
distant seventeen miles, and pass through very prom¬ 
ising locations for oil wells. Gas springs abound, and 
so strong is the pressure at times in some of them, 
that it creates a noise under ground, the people say, 
resembling the rumbling sound of a waggon over a 
rough country road. This can easily be accounted for. 
When the summer season sets in, the creeks and 
branches become dry, and the fissures and joints of 
the rocks which in winter are filled with water, be¬ 
come drained and form vacuities ; the noise of the gas 
as it bubbles up through the water in the lower 
depths of these fissures produces an echo, resounding 
through these cavernous spaces ; hence the rumbling 
sound spoken of. A few winters ago, an outburst of 
gas, very singular in its results, happened in the river 
while it was frozen over. An air hole had been notic- 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


67 


ed in the ice for some time, but one morning a large 
column of water, mud, coal, shale, and oil was thrown 
up several feet into the air, and covered the surround¬ 
ing sheet of ice for yards. This spot was about oppo¬ 
site, and thus in a line with the Otter Creek springs, 
and no doubt belongs to the same group of cleavages. 

SALT LICK CREEK. 

The name given for this creek, like many others, 
arises from the haunts of the deer. In the olden times, 
and in fact at the present day, what few are left in 
this section resort to this place to lick the salt as it 
flows from the springs. It also was a favorite spot 
for the Indians, who came many miles distant to ob¬ 
tain salt. 

The springs throw up a brine so strong, that salt 
can be easily procured in the common kettles, which 
was the primitive mode of obtaining it. Since the 
establishment of the Bull-town salt-works the forest 
salt-pan of the Indians and hunters have, like them, 
vanished. We crossed this creek on our road, and 
staid awhile at the house of one of the villagers. A 
heavy freshet prevailing at the time prevented my 
making any extensive examination, but I saw sufficient 
to convince me that there must be very great deposits 
of oil here. We obtained from the residents a good 
deal of valuable information, and their testimony con¬ 
firms that given us by those living on the other side 
Of the mountains. All say gas springs are numerous 
here, and, if all that we hear is true, the place should 
be called Gas creek. No doubt exists of there being 
an’excellent prospect in view. This creek falls into 
the little Kanawha, near the mouth of Old Oil creek, 
which is on the opposite side of the river. 


68 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


GRASS RUN. 

This lies between Cedar creek and Steer creek. I 
did not visit this stream ; but from the great inquiry 
for oil lands near its entrance into the river, I am led 
to think something of value has been found. I infer 
this much from the fact that the Burning Spring ‘men 
are trying every means in their power to induce the 
landowners to grant leases. I met several of them at 
De Kalb, which is just opposite the creek, and others 
at Elizabeth and Parkersburg, going up. There is a 
complete tide of speculators setting in this way, and 
before another three months I should not be surprised 
if every available tract of land is sold or secured un¬ 
der lease. 

COWPENS RUN AND DUCK RUN. 

If I were to judge from the geological and general 
appearance of the land at Sliding hill and Longshoal 
runs, which lie on the opposite side of the river, they 
must contain some excellent boring ground. The 
hills are much denuded, heavy shale beds occur along 
the river side. There is a great subsidence in this 
part of the valley ; great slides have taken place, and 
for a distance of several miles the country appears to 
have been much disturbed. I look upon this as a good 
indication, and think, upon a close examination, there 
will be springs found here equally as valuable as thoso 
in Steer creek. 

STEER CREEK. 

The most attractive location in this part of the coun¬ 
try next to Burning Spring run, is Steer creek. There 
are two noted gas springs on it, which have drawn the 
attention of many personsjfor a long time past. We were 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


69 


informed by Mr. Karnes,who was the first discoverer of 
the Burning Spring wells, and one of the most success¬ 
ful operators there, that the “ show ” in Steer creek 
equals anything ever found in West Virginia. The 
frequency of visitors, and the demand for leases, have 
so inflated the ideas of the residents, that they are 
demanding the most fabulous prices for their land. I 
have no hesitation, however, in saying that I believe 
in the numerous branches of this creek, which ramify 
in every direction along its course, many gas springs 
will be found to exist, and that there will be very lit¬ 
tle difficulty in finding them after the chain is once 
set in motion. Myself and friends saw quite sufficient 
to form conclusions, which from these observations, 
and from years of familiarity with the region round 
about, may be summed up in a few words, viz : That 
from external appearance, Braxton county appears to 
be about the great centre of the oil region of Vir¬ 
ginia. 


AROUND MARIETTA. 

One of the localities where Potroleum is found in 
large deposits, is about thirteen miles from Marietta 
on the Virginia side of the Ohio river. With a view 
to examine this wonder of nature, a party of four of 
us, on a beautiful October morning, embarked on 
board a steamboat, and passed seven miles up the 
Ohio. The magnificent forests on either side of the 
river, were draped in their gorgeous autumnal robes. 
The stupendous hills, abutting directly upon the river 
bank, or seen in the distance behind the broad, beau¬ 
tiful intervals, covered with their luxuriant crops pre¬ 
sented every variety of configuration—some deep and 
precipitous, others, by easy gradation, reaching their 
lofty altitudes. 

Arriving at the mouth of Bull Creek, so called, we 




70 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


disembarked, and took passage, in a rough country 
wagon, dignified with the name of “Express.” Pass¬ 
ing over one of the most execrable roads—up and 
down tremendous hills—through deep ravines, and 
over rickety bridges, we slowly made our way. At 
the end of six miles, however, we found ourselves 
among the oil wells, at a place called Horse Neck run. 
Within one of Nature’s grandest amphitheatres of 
hills, in a spot wild and majestic, yet beautiful, with 
no dwellings made by human hands, with the excep¬ 
tion of a few extemporized shanties, are about forty 
oil wells, some in process of being bored, and others 
complete and in full operation. 

I had the good fortune of an introduction to Mr. 
Tack, a highly intelligent gentleman of Philadelphia, 
who is largely interested in these works, and from him 
had much valuable practical information. Oil wells 
are at depths varying from one hundred to eight hun¬ 
dred feet, and the deepest are as apt to raise oil to 
the surface as the shallowest, in consequence of the 
greater compression of the gas (carburetted hydrogen) 
at the greatest depth. The wells we visited averaged 
something more than 160 feet. Mr, Tack states that 
while they yielded as well as they now do, he shall 
continue to work them ; but if they fail, he shall go to 
the depth of 500 or 800 feet, with full assurance that 
he will find still more ample deposits. One class of 
wells are called flowing wells, where the oil is forced 
up by the power of the gas alone, without the aid of 
machinery ; but in a majority of instances it is brought 
up by means of pumps worked by steam. The drill¬ 
ing also is done by steam power. 

The yield of the wells varies greatly from 10 to 500 
or 800 and in some instances more than one 1,000 bar¬ 
rels a day. In September last, one of Mr. Tack’s 
wells produced 600 barrels daily. Since then it has 
yielded less liberally, but is still doing well. Tei; 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


71 


barrels a day will pay all expenses, and leave a fair 
profit. In some instances the oil comes up pure, and 
in others mixed with water, but the specific gravity 
of the two substances differing so greatly, a separa¬ 
tion very soon takes place. The oil is pumped into 
vats holding 1,200 barrels ; and I observed, in some 
instances, while the pump was throwing mixed oil and 
water into the top of the vat, at the bottom was a 
stop-cock, through which was running pure limpid 
water. 

Prof. Evans, an intelligent pbserver and writer on 
this subject, describes a class of wells as intermit¬ 
tent, which, as often as they are exhausted, replenish 
themselves, and with remarkable regularity of time. 
The finding of one of these, he says, may be regarded 
as a certain sign that there are numbers of oil cavities 
near together in the same locality. The same gentle¬ 
man mentions an expedient resorted to when the spon¬ 
taneous flow of the oil becomes slight, and that is to 
stop up the orifice of the well, till another “ head of 
gas,” as it is called, accumulates. There is danger, 
however, if the stoppage is continued too long, that 
the gas will burst out somewhere else, and perhaps 
find its way into a neighbor’s well, for such fantastic 
tricks may this subtle agent play in the subterranean 
regions. 


THE GUYANDOTTE VALLEY. 

Our description of the wealth and resources of 
Western Virginia would indeed be incomplete did it 
not include the important tract lying beyond the Great 
Kanawha. Here is a territory of about thirteen hun¬ 
dred square miles, shut in as it were by the Ohio and 
the Great Kanawha on the north, the latter river and 
the Allegheny mountains on the east, the Alleghenies 
and the Sandv on the south, the Sandy and Ohio 


72 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


rivers on the west. It comprises the counties of 
Wayne, Cabell; and parts of Mason and Putnam. It 
is singularly well provided with water communication, 
as will be seen by examining the map. On three 
sides are the rivers Ohio, Great Kanawha, and Sandy, 
and through the centre flows the Guyandotte, with its 
numerous tributaries. The geologist, in contemplat¬ 
ing the general formation of the region, would say at 
once that it was peculiarly promising for mineral 
wealth. Here the bottom lands of the Ohio are 
abruptly broken by the upheaval of the Alleghenies 
and a spur of hills whiclTstrikes off to the westward, 
and which forms with the first named mountains an 
extensive exposure of the mineral yielding strata, and 
also an immense dam, as it were, to receive and hold 
the drainings of the vast coal measures above.— 
We should therefore look in this great natural pocket 
with the most sanguine expectations of finding abun¬ 
dant supplies of petroleum. The value of this terri¬ 
tory, however, is by no means limited to its mineral 
capacities. 

For Agricultural Purposes it is scarcely second, 
all things considered, to any other tract of equal, ex¬ 
tent in the State. The soil is not only fertile, and 
especially so on the river bottoms, but its unsurpassed 
convenience to the markets of the west and of the 
world in fact, by means of the rivers that border it, 
gives it unusual advantages. It is well watered, and 
furnished with a heavy growth of forests. Professor 
Buchmann, an eminent English geologist and natural¬ 
ist, who was sent out to make a scientific, survey of 
the mineral regions of Pennsylvania and West Vir¬ 
ginia, says of this tract: 

“ I was astonished at the magnificence of the for¬ 
ests. There are invaluable timber trees, not scattered 
singly at large distances, but the whole masses cover 
the coal elevations in a position from which the tim- 


WEST VIRGINIA. 



ber can be as readily brought to market as the coal. 
From this growth of forest trees it would naturally 
be concluded that the land must itself be good. The 
truth of this was amply proved to me by the luxuri¬ 
ance of the corn crops which I found growing in the 
clearings. The crops of wheat, flour, tobacco, and po¬ 
tatoes, were also good.” The hills afford fine pas¬ 
tures, and the country generally is admirably adapted 
to wool g owing, and the raising of all kinds of stock. 
The climate is mild and healthy, and stock growers 
have to cut but little if any bay. Thousands of cattle 
and sheep are raised in this section entirely without 
hay. 

The timber consists principally of white oak, poplar 
or white wood (which is used as a substitute for pine) 
and black walnut. There is also a good share of 
other trees, such as sugar maple, buckeye, hickory, 
magnolia, tulip, poplar, and a great abundance of paw¬ 
paw. Peaches and other fruits flourish finely. The 
soil is rather clayey than sandy, owing to the abun¬ 
dance of decomposing shale, and is thus adapted to 
retain its fertility. The formation, however, is in gen¬ 
eral sandstone. 

Indications of Petroleum .—The geographical po 
siiion and geological formation of this territory are 
eminently favorable for oil, being identical with loca¬ 
tions that yield in great abundance. The surface in¬ 
dications are numerous, the oil showing itself in the 
creeks, and gas being emitted in various places, which 
when ignited will burn for days. The oleaginous 
-character of the Cannel coal found in the vicinity, and 
of the strata between the coal seams affords still fur¬ 
ther evidence. Prof. Locke, in his geological report 
describing a vein of this shale says ; “ It is so soft as 
to be rather a hard unctuous clay than a rock.” But 
4 




THE OIL-DORADO OF 



even if ocular proofs and indications of oil were want¬ 
ing, its existence could be inferred with reasonable 
certainty, from the fact that the great oil belt, which 
according to the unanimous statements of all scientific 
men and experts, runs in a southwesterly direction 
from the celebrated oil regions of Pennsylvania, cuts 
directly through this territory. Thus there are on 
one side the Burning Springs of the Great and Little 
Kanawhas, and upon the other, the springs of the Big 
Sandy. That oil would be found therefore in this in¬ 
termediate region where the great oil channel has been 
upheaved and dammed up by the mountains, might 
have been easily predicted beforehand. Experiments 
however have demonstrated the fact. In 1861 a com¬ 
pany was formed, and sank two wells, one near the 
Guyandotte Falls, and the other near Salt Rock Pam 
in Cabell County. These wells had been put down 
to the depth of about 60 feet when the present rebel¬ 
lion commenced, and all further operations were there¬ 
by prevented. Oil, however, was discovered in small 
quantities, and the ^superintendent of the boring, a 
man who had had large experience in the business, 
declared that success was certain if the work could be 
continued. Doubtless as soon as the war ends the 
rich resources of this region will be speedily develop¬ 
ed. In sinking the salt wells, in this region, about fif¬ 
ty years ago, gas and petroleum were found in such 
quantities as to interfere seriously with the manufac¬ 
ture of salt. The value of the oil was then of course 
unknown, and old men who remember the sinking of 
the wells look back with curious wonder at their sim¬ 
plicity in trying to rid themselves of the precious 
treasure. 

Salt in the Guyandotte Valley .—In the early set¬ 
tlement of the country salt was manufactured here in 
quantities adequate to the wants of the inhabitants. 




WEST VIRGINIA, 


75 


Salt-water was obtained in abundance by boring to a 
very moderate depth. Especially was this so at Salt 
Kiver which runs into the Guyandotte about 20 miles 
from its mouth. A well here of only a hundred feet 
in depth furnishes enough to supply two furnaces. 
Seven miles further up the river there is another well 
of equal yield, and there is no doubt of the abundance 
of salt springs all through the valley. 

Abundance of Coal .—Prof Locke, of Cincinnati, in 
his geological report on this subject says : “ The coal 
strata are numerous and of uncommon thickness, most¬ 
ly from four to fourteen feet; and at almost every sec¬ 
tion veins show themselves eight or ten feet in thick¬ 
ness. Prom my observations I am convinced that 
there are at least five strata extending along the Guy¬ 
andotte where it runs through the range of mountains 
in Cabell County. The sum of the thickness of them 
would on an average probably equal that at Whitney- 
ville, which is at the least, twenty-eight feet, the five 
opened veins being added together. The strata are 
most happily arranged, being giouped towards the base 
of the hills, so as to occupy the broadest arear and to 
be the most accesible, while at the same time they 
are above the water and susceptible of perfect natural 
drainage.” 

Another writer, whom we know to be eminently in¬ 
telligent and trustworthy, says : “ Cabell County is 
the best cannel coal region in the world, and the ex- 
gencies of trade will bring it into market in a very 
few years.” 

Prof. Buckman an eminent English geologist, to 
whom we have just alluded, says : “ The average 
amount of coal measures in the different veins lying 
one above the other on the banks of the Guyandotte 
may be presumed to be nearly thirty feet, including 
the shales by which some of the veins are traversed. 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


76 

After carefully examining these coal veins I was much 
impressed with the following important points : 

First, The great thickness and regularity of the coal 
strata over extensive areas. 

Second, The absence of any evidence of subse¬ 
quent disturbance—there being absolutely no faults in 
the strata. 

Third, The thick coal seam (the ten feet vein) being 
well covered with sandstone, so that in its mining 
there would be a good roof. 

Fourth, The total impossibility of any inconvenience 
from water in the mines. 

Fifth, The general convenient height of the coal 
mines above the level of the Guyandotte river. From 
the above data it will be seen that the expense of 
mining would be exceedingly small; as there would 
be no shafts to make, the first day’s mining would 
readily produce coal ready for market. 

Still further testimony on this point is furnished by 
the official report of Professor Gill, to the “ Board of 
Public Works ” of Virginia. The report states that 
“ the most valuable resources of the district appear to 
be the inexhaustible quantities of bituminous and 
lately discovered Cannel coal which appears to per¬ 
vade the whole region of the country ; the measures 
sometimes lying in the bed and sides of the river and 
creeks to considerable extent, and at different altitudes 
in almost every hill in Cabell County. I have per¬ 
sonally examined several of the measures of bitumin¬ 
ous coal varying from two to seven and eight feet in 
thickness.” 

Prof. Sheppard in his report to the Board of Public 
Works, says : 

“ Between the strata or layers of these rocks are 
found, above the level of the streams, extensive beds 
of bituminous coal, generally one or two beds on 
every hill side of any magnitude. The beds that I 



^ 9f n 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


77 


saw were found near the roadside, on a little creek ; it 
is here a workable bed of from four to five feet in 
thickness.” 

This is confirmed by the testimony of all scientific 
men who have visited the region. One who explored 
the region only a few months since says : 

“ The situation of the veins for mining is more 
favorable than any others I have ever met. The 
banks of the Guyandotte rise boldly from the water, 
the coal veins of unusual thickness cropping out nearly 
horizontally from the hill sides, at a convenient height 
for running the coal directly from the mouth of the 
mine into boats. I went into a mine on the west bank 
that had been worked three or four hundred feet into 
the hill and found ample room to. stand erect and walk 
about with my hat on—and I am six feet high. The 
thickness and quality of the coal was found to improve 
as we advanced, and the drainage was the natural flow 
of the water from the mine. 

I saw at Guyandotte a quantity of very superior 
Cannel coal, taken from a vein called Laurel Hill in 
Cabell County. I tried some of it by burning, and 
found it a very free burning coal, of the fat oily char¬ 
acter most productive of coal oil. It is the opinion of 
good judges that oil can be manufactured from this 
article at a cost not exceeding three dollars a bar¬ 
rel.” 

The same writer adds in regard to the 

Convenience of marketing Coal .—“ At the time of 
my visit there was a good slack water navigation by 
means of locks and dams in the Guyandotte, from 
the mines to the Ohio River. The coal found a 
ready sale to steamboats on the Ohio river at re- 
munarative prices,—the demand was greater than 
the supply. Nothing but capital is needed to increase 
the production of these mines to the extent of supply- 


78 


THE * OIL-DORADO OF 


ing the markets of Cincinnati and other places of the 
Ohio and Mississippi even down to New Orleans. And 
in addition to the river communication there might be 
a railroad of an easy descending grade constructed at 
a comparatively small cost.” 

Quality of the Coal .—The analysis by Prof. Locke 
shows that Guyandotte coal contains 56 1-2 per cent, 
carbon, 42 per cent, volatile matter, and only 11-2 per 
cent, ashes or refuse—less than any other coal in 
Western Virginia (except Deem’s Vein at Big Senel 
Mountain, which gives 1.14) and less ashes or refuse 
than nine-tenths of the other specimens collected from 
all quarters of the earth. Its percentage of carbon 
and volatile matter agrees almost exactly with the 
English Lancastershire cannel, which has 56 per 
cent, carbon, and 38 per cent, volatile matter, and is 
reckoned as among the types of a perfect coal for the 
manufacture of illuminating gas. 

Iron in the Guyandotte Valley .—That the valley 
contains extensive iron beds of excellent quality has 
been proved beyond a doubt, and what is also of great 
importance, there is abundance of limestone for flux¬ 
ing the ore. Prof. Locke, who made extensive explo¬ 
rations in this region to test its resources, says in re¬ 
gard to its iron beds: The coal measures in the 
United States, as well as elsewhere, usually include 
limestone and iron ore ; and accordingly I have found 
these two on these lands. The nodular or kidney ore 
occurs in the creeks, fields, and roads, scattered as if 
out of place. At Madison Creek and at other places I 
was able to trace the strata from which these nodules 
originated. A bluff, a little above Mike Wince’s 
house, on the bank of the Creek, presents the follow¬ 
ing section, commencing at the bottom : Sandstone 1 
ft.; shale, including nodules of iron ore 4 ft. ; sand- 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


79 

I 

stone 8 ft. ; shale, including nodules of iron ore lift.; 
sandstone 2 ft. ; iron ore and shale decomposed into 
copperas 3 ft. ; a thin seam of decomposing coal inde¬ 
finitely blended with shale 2 ft. The bottom of this 
section is about 42 feet above low water at the mouth 
of Madison Creek. At another place there is an ex¬ 
traordinary mixture of coal and iron ore, of which the 
following would be an approximate section, beginning 
at the bottom ; Iron ore in a nodular stratum contain¬ 
ing zinc 3 inches ; coal 4 ft. ; shale and iron ore 10 ft.; 
shaly sandstone 10 ins ; coal 10 ft. ; shale, laminated 
4 ft. ; iron ore in a stratum block ore, 4 ins ; shale, 
splitting readily like slate, 4 ft. The bottom of this 
section is about 33 feet above the level of Guyandotte 
river at the mouth of Four Mile Creek. Nodules of 
iron at the bottom of this section are peculiarly char¬ 
acterized, by having within them veins of the sulphur¬ 
ate of zinc, and sometimes calcin or carbonate of 
zinc.” 

Iron Ore on Tyler's Creek —Lower down the river, 
at Tyler’s Creek, the iron ore, according to Professor 
Locke, has been only partially exposed ; and, so far as 
seen, exhibits nodules similar to those at Dial’s em¬ 
bedded in shale. That they belong to the same stra¬ 
tum is rendered highly probable by their containing 
the same metal—zinc—mostly, however, here in a 
white powder of carbonate of zinc. Height above low 
water at Salt Rock, 48 feet. It is now pretty evident 
that the great coal stratum at Trace Fork, the iron 
and coal at Dials, the coal on both sides of the river 
at Chapman’s, Cameron’s Creek, the iron at Madison 
Creek, and the iron at Tyler’s Creek, [embracing eight 
miles of the river] are all included in one great stra¬ 
tum of shale, and that the iron and the coal lie almost 
contiguous to each other. The same block ore of four 
inches in thickness is found at Dial’s, and opposite 


80 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


Cameron’s Creek, at eleven ; the same nodules of iron 
containing zinc ore, are found both at Dial’s and Ty¬ 
ler’s Creek ” 

Prof. Shepherd, in his report to the Board of Pub¬ 
lic Works of Virginia, says of the iron resources of 
this valley— 

“ Above and between the coal beds are beds of 
clay, iron ore, and also carbonate of iron, in kidney¬ 
shaped masses. These beds vary from three to four 
feet in thickness. This latter ore contains lime mixed 
with iron. It is very compact and hard to break, free 
from all sulphur, and will probably yield on an aver¬ 
age twenty-five per cent, of excellent bar iron ore, of 
the same description as is extensively worked on the 
Monongahela, in Pennsylvania. It exists here in suf¬ 
ficient quantities to supply the increasing demand for 
this most valuable of all metals.” 

The well known Prof. Rogers, in his report to the 
same Board, says— 

“-As conspicuous among the future sources of 
wealth and prosperity throughout this region, I may 
be permitted to call the attention of the Board [of 
Public Works of Virginia] to the extraordinary abun¬ 
dance and excellence of its iron ores.” 

Market Facilities .—A mere glance at the map will 
be sufficient to convince any one of the superior ad¬ 
vantages of the Guyandotte for sending its products 
both agricultural and mineral to market. The whole 
of the fiver below Guyandotte is thickly populated, so 
that Cincinnati and the immediate townships thence to 
Louisville, Cairo, and the whole of the Mississippi, of¬ 
fer a market equal to the supply ; so that the prices 
could never be lowered, but would tend to increase 
with the increase of demand and means of supply. 

These markets will be much more accessible from 
the Guyandotte river, as there are many shoals on the 
Ohio river above the mouth of the Guyandotte, which 


81 


WEST VIRGINIA. 

prevent coal boats from navigating the river during 
low water in the summer, while there are no shoals 
below the Guyandotte to prevent such boats from 
going to market at any season of the year. This con¬ 
sideration alone will give the Guyandotte mines great 
advantage over all others above them. 

The coal from these mines can always be regularly 
supplied at any season, which is not the case with 
those from a higher position up the Ohio. In short, 
from the vast quantity of minerals of different kinds, 
and the facilities for mining them, and the complete 
slack water navigation of the Guyandotte, there can 
be no reason why this valley, used only for mining 
purposes, should not yield enormous profits. 

WHAT A CORRESPONDENT THINKS OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

Before leaving West Virginia let me step aside 
from the direct purpose of this letter, and say a word 
in reference to the other great resources of this new 
sister State. Apart from oil, it is rich in great min¬ 
eral resources. I was shown a lump of rudely refined 
ore at Sisterville, which seemed to be an alloy of sil¬ 
ver, and which I was informed had been obtained in a 
neighboring hill. A joyous settler assured me, at 
Elizabeth that he had a brass mine on his farm! 
And another disconsolate borer, who had been sink¬ 
ing a well without many indications of oil, had placed 
over his derrick this despairing resolution : “ Oil, 

silver, Hades or China.” In the county of Pocahon¬ 
tas, iron ore is found producing 83 per cent, of pure 
metal, and lead, copper, and silver exist. Coal may 
be found cropping out of the ranges of the 'Western 
mountains, and rich veins of asphaltum have been 
found in Wirt county. In Morgan and Hampshire 
counties medicinal springs exist. The highest inoun- 
4* 


82 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


tain in the State is 2,500 feet, hut the upper valley of 
the Kanawha is luxuriant in verdure, and as fertile 
and temperate as the counties further north. You can 
imagine the opportunities presented by West Virginia, 
when I say that while there are 2,346,137 acres of im¬ 
proved lands, 8,550,257 are unimproved. Before this 
oil excitement the lands averaged eight dollars an 
acre; now many undeveloped tracts have been re- 
fusSd at a thousand dollars. Although New Hamp¬ 
shire has but 40 per cent, of the territory of West 
Virginia, yet, under the more extended and vigorous 
system of improvement it surpasses it in every re¬ 
spect. Still, there is a great future for West Virginia, 
particularly when New Hampshire money and genius 
are introduced. In Mason and Kanawha counties salt 
has been found. These salt formations accompany the 
vast strata of sandstone that underlies the whole of the 
northwestern counties of Virginia, and the works were 
used by the rebel authorities. A few miles from 
Charlestown, on the great Kanawha, and in the line 
of the great upheaval the salt wells are very produc¬ 
tive. They are several hundred feet in depth, yield¬ 
ing lime of remarkable purity, and free from sulphate 
of lime or gypsum, and crystallized with less trouble 
than customary, and sent into commerce as a superior 
muriate of soda. Mason county is also famed for salt 
mines, but the rebellion has quite ruined the manufac¬ 
ture, in consequence of rebel incursions and the dearth 
of labor. In the valley and in Preston county, iron fur¬ 
naces are in operation and the ores of Laurel Hill are 
rich and pure. These ores occur in two groups upon 
the western slope, the upper group above the second 
seam of coal, resting upon a lead-colored sandstone, 
and overlaid by Silician slates. The ore is found in 
large nodules resembling sandstone and is easily 
blasted. The coal products of the State are boundless. 
The fields of the Kanawha Valley are among the most 


WEST VIRGINIA. 


83 


valuable on tlie continent. Indeed, for salt, coal, iron, 
and [probably Petroleum, West Virginia bids fair to 
rival, if not surpass any State of tlie Union. 




Before closing we will copy from, a recently pub¬ 
lished pamphlet on Petroleum, the introductory re¬ 
marks on Rock Oil and the origin of Petroleum. 
Those who wish more information on this subject, will 
do well either to buy a copy of the above mentioned 
pamphlet, or to subscribe to the weekly paper “All 
About Petroleum.” 


ROCK-OIL, OR PETROLEUM. 

The discovery of gunpowder supplanted the old 
system of warfare, with all its cumbersome siege in¬ 
struments ; the discovery of printing by Guttenberg; 
of the power of steam and electricity, and the discov¬ 
ery of the gold fields of California, exercised their 'in¬ 
fluence upon the social history of the world ; while 
more recently, rifled cannon and iron-plated monitors 
have again revolutionized the system of warfare of the 
last century,—and now the discovery of a new mate¬ 
rial—petroleum—comes to exercise a yet incalculable 
influence upon the course of all industrial pursuits, 
exciting, at the same time, the attention of japitalists 
and others, not only to the product of the rock oil re¬ 
gions of this country, but also to these regions them¬ 
selves, which are believed to extend from the south¬ 
ern portion of the Ohio valley to Georgian Bay on 
Lake Huron in Upper Canada, and from the Allegha- 
nies in Pennsylvania, to the western limits of the bitu¬ 
minous coal fields in the vicinity of the Missouri rirer, 
embracing an area of about fifty thousand square miles, 
a vast amount of which is, of course, undeveloped. 





84 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


WIIAT is petroleum. 

Many speculations have been indulged in about 
the origin of petroleum. Some think that is it the 
work of a coralline insect which exists underneath the 
coal formation in the rocks. Others insist that it was 
distilled by the heat of the eastern slope of the Alle¬ 
ghany mountains’from the anthracite coal, and thence 
flowed to the western slope of those mountains. Others 
again believe that petroleum is produced from layers 
of coal which are submitted to a low heat, and thus a 
gas is evolved, which being mixed with water soaking 
through the crevices, becomes condensed. Many im¬ 
pressions of fishes having been found in the rocks, 
some have held the idea that petroleum comes from 
fishes and reptiles, destroyed by some geological 
change in the present oil districts. 

Another theory of the formation of petroleum is, 
that petroleum being known to be a hydrocarbon, com¬ 
posed of two gases, these gases are primary elements, 
indestructible and exhaustless in quantity. One of 
them—hydrogen — is constituted of water, and of 
course is as exhaustless as the ocean. The other is a 
constituent in all vegetable forms and in many of our 
rocks. One hundred pounds of limestone, when 
burned, will weigh but sixty pounds. The part driven 
off by burning is carbonic acid gas. Underlying the 
Oil Ivock is a stratum of limestone of unknown thick¬ 
ness, but known to be upwards of one thousand feet in 
depth. The water falling on the surface and percola¬ 
ting through the porous sandstone that overlies the oil 
rock, becomes charged with salt, potash, saltpetre and 
other chemical ingredients, and finally reaches the 
limestone rock and decomposes it—the carbon in the 
rock and the hydrogen of the water uniting to form 
oil, while the oxygen is set free to ascend to the 
atmosphere or unite with minerals and form oxydes. 




WEST VIRGINIA. 


85 . 

The reverse of this process is seen in burning the 
oil in a lamp—the oxygen in the atmosphere uniting 
with the carbon in the oil, forming a carbonic acid, and 
with the hydrogen forming water, thus completing the 
circle. 

According to all appearances, however, petroleum 
is the work of subterranean fires, which raise or sub¬ 
lime the more subtile parts of certain bituminous mat¬ 
ters that lie in their way. These parts, being con¬ 
densed into a liquor by the cold in the vaults of rocks, 
are there collected, and ooze thence through clefts and 
apertures, existing in the earth’s strata. 

Petroleum, then, is a liquid bitumen, only differing 
by its liquidity from other bitumens, as asphaltum, 
jet, amber, and the like substances. It is a fluid, re¬ 
sembling in a high degree the essential oil from veg¬ 
etables. It is of a brownish-yellow color, and of a 
peculiar odor. Its specific gravitys varies from .73 to 
.878. When exposed to a gentle heat for distillation, 
the fluid which comes over has less color, is much 
thinner, and has more smell. When it is exposed to 
the air, even that obtained by distillation, it becomes 
thick and highly colored, and puts on the form of bitu¬ 
men. 

WHERE PETROLEUM COMES FROM-THE BOWELS OF THE 

EARTH SCIENTIFICALLY OVERHAULED. 

The subject of explaining the phenomena of the 
production of petroleum has attracted the attention of 
scientific and practical men ever since its discovery 
and adaptation to the uses of society. Several theo¬ 
ries have been advanced, but the most reasonable 
which we have remarked, and which has been fortified 
by personal investigation in the oil region in Pennsyl¬ 
vania, may be ascertained from the following summary 
of the views of the most enlightened investigators \n 


86 


THE OIL-DORADO OF 


the mysteries of this wonderful production of the 
earth :— 

It seems certain that the principal supplies of pe¬ 
troleum are not diffused between the planes of strati¬ 
fication, but are collected in cavities more or less 
sunken in the strata, where it is less liable to be car¬ 
ried away by running water. It is common to find 
large quantities in places where there are marks of 
disturbance and misplacement of the rocks, and those 
who have professionally “ prospected for oil nearly 
always select such spots for sinking shafts or wells. 
These cavities are not usually of great horizontal ex¬ 
tent—it is seldom that two neighboring .wells strike 
oil at the same depth, whether the strata be horizontal 
or dipping ; it is one chance out of many to strike oil 
at all, even in neighborhoods where it exists in abun¬ 
dance, except in certain localities in the oil creek re¬ 
gion, where the average chances of striking oil are 
superior‘to those of other districts, with the excep¬ 
tion, possibly, of some of the newly discovered dis¬ 
tricts in Western Virginia. 



SHEPAED & SANDS, 
Attorneys & Conveyancers, 

170 BROADWAY, , PARKERSBURG. 

Now York City, ana West Va. 


New York, January, 1865. 

In view of the doubtful state of many of the titles to Real 
Estate in West Virginia and Eastern Ohio, and the necessity to 
purchasers of a careful and accurate investigation of such titles, 
and on recommendation of many Dusiness men of this city, we 
have established an office at Parkersburg, West Virginia, in 
connection with our office in this city, for the purpose of attend¬ 
ing to the Purchase and Sale of Oil Lands, and other Real Es¬ 
tate in West Virginia and Eastern Ohio. 

Particular attention given to the purchase, sale, and leasing 
of Oil Lands and other Real Estate, the Investigation of Titles, 
Drawing and Execution of Deeds and Contracts, and ail legal 
business in relation thereto, for which, through the medium of 
our two offices, peculiar facilities are afforded. 

'J8HEPARD & SANDS, 

Attorneys, &c. 

WILLIAM F. SHEPARD, \ 

WALTER S. SANDS. J j 


Refer , by permission , to the following, among others: ] 

Messrs. Marsh, Coe & Wallis, 170 Broadway, N. Y. 
Brown, Hall & Vanderpoel, 271 Broadway, “ 
Wright, Gillies & Bro., 233 Washington-st., “ 

Blatt, Gerard & Buckley, 45 William-st., “ 
James Wadsworth & Co., 61 Cedar-st., “ 

Trembley, Phelps & Co., 134 Maiden-lane, “ 
Abraham Bell’s Son, 26 Park Row, “ 

Willard Parker, M.D., 87 E. 12th-st., “ 

David E. Wheeler, Esq., 229 Broadway, 



























































































































































































































































































Swift’s Improved Petroleum Air Pump. 



HE8E PUMPS ARE MADE FROM THE BEST MATE¬ 
RIALS, 


And on tne most 


SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES. 

With 

METALLIC PACKING, 

And finished in the best manner, 

And so arranged that there is no 

Waste of Compressed Air. 

Each pump is provided with a SdflBty-valve, 

By which the pressure can be ascertained. 

They are warranted to stand a pressure of 
450 POUNDS TO THE SQUARE INCH, 

And are 

Tested at Six Hundred Pounds, 

Before leaving the works. 

They are warranted in every respect superior to any pump 

made. 


PUMPS ARE ALWAYS READY FOR PROMPT 

DELIVERY. 


Apply to 

JACOB B. SCIIENCK, 

Sole Agent for New York City, 

82 Maiden-lane. 



























































































































































































A. KURSHEEDT, 

Petroleum Land and Stock Agency, 

13 Broad-street 5 New York. 

Has for sale Lands in the best localities, and stocks in the most 
approved companies, and offers his services to his friends and the 
public in the faithful negotiation of any interest confided to him. 

References:—Messrs. Hunt, Tillinghast & Co. 

Richard Patrick, Esq. 

T. B. Coddington & Co. 

Geo. W. Duer, Cashier, B’k State of N.Y. 


The Pacific Coast Petroleum Company, 

OF l^TEvV YORK. 

Office ..112 Broadway. 

Capital 8tock, $5,000 000, Divided into 50,000 shares of $100 each. 
Subscription price, $20 per share. 

No further assessment or call on subscribers, as $800,000 in 
stock, and $100,000 in cash, are reserved for 
Working Capital. 

Officers :—Hon. James De Peyster Ogden, President. 

Hon. James Wadsworth, Vice-President. 

Edwards S. Rich, Esq., Treasurer. 

Lewis Benton, Esq., Secretary. 

The property of the Company consists of a perpetual lease of about 
75,000 acres of Oil Territory in San Luis Obispo county, California. 

The titles of this large tract of land have been approved by Judge 
Parsons, of San Franeisco. Measures are in progress to immediately 
develope the property of the Company. 

Subscriptions for the Stock of this Company will be received 
by LEWIS BENTON, Esq , Secretary. 


OIL AND COAL LANDS. 

SEVERAL TRACTS IN BRAXTON COUNTY, WEST VA., 
For sale by the subscriber. Titles Warranted. Apply 
Nos. 8 and 10 Wall-street, Room No. 41, between 11 and 
2 o’clock. E. I1ECKSCHER. 







REED’S 

PATENT 



AND 



PUMP 




FOR ELEVATING OIL. 


'Tliis engine is designed for both Drilling and Pumping Oil 

« 

Wells. It consists of a combination of two oscillating cylin¬ 
ders placed in line and acting on a crank shaft between. The 
steam cylinder is about three times the capacity of the air cyl¬ 
inder. There are no valves to either steam or air cylinder, and 
consequently no valve chambers or gear. This is a decided 
advantage in pumping Air, which requires to be forced out 
with the least possible exception at each end of the cylinder. 
The ports are rrrauged at the end of the cylinder, with corres¬ 
ponding passages in the frame. With this arrangement the 
engine can be run at high speed without loss in changing, and 
leakage of valves. 

When the Engine is used for drilling, the Air Pump is 
detached by taking out the key which connects it to the crank. 

The Boiler is of the strongest form, and large capacity, and 
all tested 1T0 pounds before leaving the shop. 

For further particulars call on 

J. A. EEED, 

55 Liberty-st., N. Y. 


9-*1949 



































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































NLMJP 

OF THE 

OIL DISTRICT 

OF 

WEST VIRGINIA. 

This map shows a circumference of Twenty 
Miles from the best Oil Territory on 

OIL RUN, LAUREL FORK, 

HUGHES’ RIYER, 

DUCK [CREEK, FRENCH CREEK, 

COW CREEK, &o., 

And is the most complete and most reliable map 

of that 

RICH PETROLEUM TERRITORY ,. 


NEW YORK: 

American News Co., Publishers’ Agents, 
121 Nassau street. 

18G5. 



ALL ABOUT 


PETEOLE U MI, 

AND THE 

GREAT OIL DISTRICTS 

OF 

CRAWFORD AND YENANGO COUNTIES, PA. 


THE MOST COMPLETE AND MOST RELIABLE 
DESCRIPTION OF THIS REMARKABLE 
REGION EVER ISSUED. 


BY 

ALEXANDER VON MILLERN, LL.D., 

PROFESSOR OF MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY, CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE 
ROYAL AND IMPLRIAL ACADIMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AT VIENNA, 

AND OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY AT FRIBOURG, <StC. &C. 


IJork; 

AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY, PUBLISHERS’ AGENTS, 

121 Nassa,u Street. 

18G5. 


4 


4 






ALL ABOUT PETROLEUM 

51 llkckln Journal 


DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 
PETROLEUM INTEREST. 


/ 

f The object of the publication of this Journal is to furnish all 

the information available on Petroleum, Petroleum Lands, and 

/ 

Petroleum Stocks, which is anywhere to be found.- 

* 

It is got up in the very best style, and with a view of enabling 
the subscriber to have it bound ; so that this Journal will form 
a complete history of the growth of the Petroleum Interest for 
future reference. 

1 

It is for sale by all first-class Newsdealers throughout the 
country. The trade is supplied by 

THE AMERICAN NEWS Co., 121 Nassau-street, N. Y. 

Subscriptions, at $5 per year, should be addressed to the 
publishers, 

C. PFIRSIIING § Co., 34 Liberty-street , New York. 







































. 











































































































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